Free COVID test site in Tri-Cities is closing, but there’s a 2nd option
The free, walk-up COVID testing site on George Washington Way in Richland is closing, at least temporarily.
The site, now operated by UW Medicine, has seen falling demand for testing.
“If the need arrives for more testing, the Richland COVID-19 Test Site could be re-established quickly,” UW Medicine said in a statement.
Tri-Cities area residents can continue to use the free drive-thru testing site at Columbia Basin College, 3110 W. Argent Road, Pasco, Wash.
It is open Friday through Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. No insurance or identification is required, and test results are available in 12 to 36 hours.
The Richland testing site opened in September 2021 and has completed more than 23,800 tests.
It will close Wednesday, June 15.
Both the Richland and Pasco public sites transitioned from Benton Franklin Health District management to UW Medicine at the end of May, as demand at both dropped.
The drop in demand is due to availability of free, rapid home tests and new case rates that are far below the Omicron peak earlier this year, although they are currently rising.
Free COVID tests are available at COVIDtests.gov.
More information about testing and where testing is available is posted by the Benton Franklin Health District at covid19.bfhd.wa.gov/covid-testing.
This story was originally published June 14, 2022 at 10:43 AM.