Illinois has now administered over one million COVID-19 tests as the state announced that anyone can get tested for free without a doctor’s order.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker made the announcement during an appearance Friday afternoon at a testing site in Peoria.
“This milestone is the result of the incredible work of so many people behind the scenes in state government, in our national guard, in our public and private hospitals all around the state, but I am very proud to be one of the earliest states to hit this one million landmark,” Pritzker said.
The state announced on Thursday that its community-based testing sites were being made available to anyone, even those who do not have symptoms. The governor is asking people to get tested if they have been around a mass gathering.
“I especially encourage anyone who has been out recently in large gatherings like the protest marches over the last week to take advantage of our testing capacity,” Pritzker said.
There are 279 testing sites available to the public in Illinois.
“As we move forward, COVID-19 testing must be widely available and this is a step in the right direction,” Illinois Emergency Management Agency Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau said.
“The state-operated community-based testing sites currently have the capacity to test more than 6,000 people per day, and now there will be no restrictions to who can be tested for the virus,” she added.
Lake County’s state-run drive-thru testing site has been moved from 2161 Northwestern Avenue in Waukegan to 102 West Water Street in Waukegan, officials said. It is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
No appointment, doctor referral or insurance is needed at state operated drive-thru sites and testing is available at no cost to the person undergoing the test.
The IDPH said that the virus has been found to spread between people up to a couple days before they start showing symptoms. A list of public and private testing facilities can be found the IDPH website.
There were 1,156 new cases and 59 additional deaths on Friday. The total number of cases statewide has reached 125,915, including 5,795 deaths.