By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support local journalism.
Testing draws crowd
Testing rush hour3.jpg
Lunch hour turned into rush hour for Warren County Health Department on Monday. Vehicles filled its parking lot and a line stretched down Sparta Street to the lighted intersection with motorists attempting to access the COVID-19 testing site. - photo by Lisa Hobbs

Has a post-Thanksgiving coronavirus surge hit Warren County?

Warren County Health Department’s parking lot was packed with motorists on Monday attempting to access the free COVID testing site. 

At 11:30 a.m., the line of vehicles extended to the lighted intersection in front of Three Star Mall and McMinnville Police Department was called to assist with overflow traffic on Sparta Street

While the number of tests administered on Monday has not been provided, Warren County Health Department director Andrea Fox did advise that the hours of testing have changed. 

“Due to the colder temperatures, our hours have changed,” said Fox. 

The site is now open Monday thru Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

The rush to test comes 11 days after Thanksgiving, a holiday that experts warned could cause a coronavirus surge if people traveled and partook in traditional Thanksgiving events without taking safety precautions. 

Warren County had 295 active COVID cases as of Tuesday, Dec. 8, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

Warren County Health Department has offered a drive-thru testing site since March. While the time frame of test results have varied depending on the volume of tests that the testing lab receives, most test results have been available online in 24 hours.