After a week of open community wide COVID-19 testing in the Shrine Auditorium parking lot, RiverStone Health has announced that it won't be able to continue testing those residents without symptoms of the novel coronavirus.

Quest Diagnostics is the private lab that analyzes COVID-19 test specimens from Yellowstone County, and due to a nationwide backlog of tests, the lab won't be able to "fulfill its contract to analyze specimens from sentinel testing of people without symptoms," according to a RiverStone Health press release.

Beginning this Monday (7/20), free drive-through COVID-19 testing will continue to be offered in the Shrine Auditorium parking lot, but only to those who have been in "close contact" with someone how has tested positive for COVID-19, or are having symptoms of the novel coronavirus.

A “close contact” is a person who has spent 15 minutes or longer within six feet of a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 when that person was infectious. The close contact may become infected within 14 days after the exposure. Close contacts need to quarantine themselves at home for 14 days. -RiverStone Health

Those who are tested and are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should isolate themselves until receiving confirmation that their test is negative. If the test should come back positive, officials from RiverStone Health and a personal care provider will contact the individual with further instructions.

Free drive-through testing is offered Monday through Friday in the parking lot at the Shrine Auditorium (1125 Broadwater Avenue) beginning at 9am each day. Tests will be conducted until the allotted 175 tests per day have been reached.

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