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A week after pickup plowed through it, U of U drive-thru COVID-19 testing site reopens

Posted at 12:52 PM, Nov 13, 2020
and last updated 2020-11-13 14:52:53-05

SALT LAKE CITY — The COVID-19 drive-thru testing site at the University of Utah will fully reopen on Saturday.

That’s a little more than a week after a frightening crash that injured several people and temporarily closed the testing facility.

READ: Nine injured as truck crashes into booths at COVID-19 testing site in SLC

“I tell you what Scott, we came together as a team like something I have witnessed very rarely in my career," said Jennie McQueen, the nursing supervisor at the testing site.

It was a scary scene on Nov. 5, when a man driving a pickup truck, plowed through tents and temporary buildings injuring several people, including members of the nursing staff.

The facility was partially reopened Monday and will be fully reopened Saturday.

It comes at a critical time, with Utah experiencing day-after-day record numbers of positive coronavirus cases, and hospitalizations.

There was definitely a sense of urgency in getting the facility back on line.

“We came together and I’ve just been so proud of my team and so happy to be a part of it because that’s exactly what we did,” McQueen said. “Like we’ve been saying you know, the show must go on and we realize the community needs us right now and so we are coming together as the wonderful team we are and we will be back up and operational with both of our booths tomorrow.”

READ: Drive-up coronavirus testing sites set up in Farmington, Salt Lake City and South Jordan

The University of Utah COVID-19 test sites are by appointment only. You can make one here.

The site will be able to handle about 300 screenings a day.

“Yes, we are testing more so obviously we’re going to have more positives but that is just to show you that this disease is very, very powerful," McQueen said. "And if we don’t do what we can to stop it, it’s just unfathomable what could happen.”

University of Utah police closed the investigation of the crash after determining the driver was experiencing some sort of medical condition which led him to crash into the site as he was approaching it to get a test.