Free COVID-19 testing scheduled in Rockingham County and Harrisonburg this weekend

Mobile COVID-19 testing will be offered for free in Rockingham County this coming Friday.

According to a statement by Rockingham County Fire Chief Jeremy Holloway, the Rockingham County Department of Fire and Rescue, Virginia Department of Health, and the Virginia Air National Guard are partnering to provide a mobile testing site on Friday, May 15.

It will be set up at Covenant Presbyterian Church at 546 West Mosby Rd. (between Harrisonburg and Dayton) from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., with no appointments necessary.

The tests will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Officials say no insurance is required to receive a test.

If you plan to get tested, you're asked to wear a mask, stay at least six feet away from others at all times, and talk to a healthcare provider if you are having symptoms of COVID-19 such as cough, shortness of breath, and/or a fever.

The free Rockingham County testing comes a day before free testing for any Harrisonburg city residents on Saturday.

Up to 100 tests will take place at Skyline Middle School and Spotswood Elementary School on Saturday, May 16, from 2 to 6 p.m., through a partnership between the city of Harrisonburg, the Virginia Department of Health and Sentara Healthcare

According to the City of Harrisonburg, the tests will be available for any Harrisonburg resident on a first-come, first-served basis until they run out.

Spanish interpreters will be available at both Harrisonburg locations, and Arabic, Kurdish and Swahili interpreters will be available at Spotswood Elementary.

Virginia Department of Health demographic data has shown, especially in the Central Shenandoah Health District, that COVID-19 has disproportionately affected people of color,

especially the Latino community in and around Harrisonburg

State health commissioner Dr. Norm Oliver said in Governor Ralph Northam's Friday press briefing that the disproportionate numbers are likely connected to outbreaks at poultry plants in the Shenandoah Valley.

For anyone seeking to be tested for the coronavirus this weekend, the city of Harrisonburg says they need to wear a mask and, if at all possible, adhere to all social distancing guidelines.

The City of Harrisonburg urges all city residents to continue following the

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines

on hand-washing and social distancing, as well as to continue following Gov. Northam's Stay at Home order and executive order banning gatherings of more than 10 people.

Last week,

first responders around Harrisonburg delivered hundreds of care kits

packed with face masks, hand sanitizer, and flyers on prevention in different languages, thanks to donations from the COVID-19 Health Equity Working Group of Virginia’s Unified Command.

Two weekends ago, the city

offered mobile COVID-19 testing sites in two city neighborhoods

, giving residents of those specific neighborhoods who may not otherwise be able to get tested the chance.

But the May 16 testing is open to all city residents.

As of May 13, the city of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County

have among the highest per capita rates of COVID-19 in the commonwealth of Virginia

, with 607 total cases confirmed in Harrisonburg and 373 in Rockingham County.

The Virginia Department of Health reports at least 39 cumulative hospitalizations in Harrisonburg and 28 in Rockingham County, with 21 Harrisonburg deaths and 2 in Rockingham County.