The first state-operated drive-thru test site for COVID-19 opened Monday to first responders and health professionals at a repurposed vehicle emissions test building on the Northwest Side.
The Illinois National Guard will test 250 people on a first-come, first-served basis from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, according to Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford. The “soft opening” at 6959 Forest Preserve Drive, near Harlem Irving Plaza, is currently for medical personnel and first responders, Illinois National Guard spokesman Bradford Leighton said in an email.
State officials couldn’t say if the site will later test the public.
Leighton said about 115 Illinois National Guard members work at the Harwood Heights Community Testing Site.