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A free drive-thru community COVID-19 testing event will be held Wednesday,  Nov. 4 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the County Administration Building located at 250 Legrande Avenue.

The testing is free. Insurance is not required. No appointment is needed. This testing event does not include antibody testing.

The event is being held in conjunction with the Piedmont Health District the Virginia National Guard, and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.

Testing is open to those ages 6 and older. Anyone under the age of 18 will need parental or authorization by a legal guardian in order to be tested.

You do not have to have any symptoms to be tested. Testing efforts will be conducted in conjunction with robust case investigation, isolation and quarantine efforts.

To protect yourself and healthcare workers, wear a cloth face covering or mask. Be sure to tell the testing providers if you have any symptoms of COVID-19, including fever, deep cough or shortness of breath, or believe that you may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19.

Piedmont Health District Director Dr. Robert Nash said there is a potential for increased spread of COVID-19 should the population let its guard down.

“I agree with Dr. Fauci. I think we’re going to see a modest to an impressive increase in the number of cases, because people are going to tend to huddle together indoors,” he said. “I think as a population we seem to be dismissing some of the recommendations to maintain our social distancing in our social circles. People are just wanting to aggregate more. They’re really burned out on being isolated. That’s a real problem and it’s going to be a problem as our social activities are moving indoors more and more.”

As of Tuesday, Oct. 27 the Virginia Department of Health is reporting 11 new cases in a one-week period bringing the county’s case total since the beginning of the pandemic to 211. On Wednesday, Oct 21 Dr. Nash confirmed two COVID-19 related deaths for the county.