The Test Iowa COVID-19 testing site in Council Bluffs is moving locations ahead of the winter season.
On Tuesday, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said the Council Bluffs would make the move to prepare for colder weather. At the end of the week, the testing site at the Western Historic Trails Center will close and move to 3236 Nebraska Ave.
Iowa had to make changes -- the state had already made changes at four other testing sites. "Over the last several weeks four out of the five state-operated Test Iowa sites have been successfully relocated to enclosed buildings,” Reynolds said during her address.
The site in Council Bluffs has been the only one remaining without an enclosed building secured for winter operations until now.
Matt Wyant, director of planning and development in Pottawattamie County, tells 6 News that he hopes the indoor facility will encourage more people to come out and get tested even when the cold and snow hit the area. “They’ll be able to circle around the building, come through the drive-thru, heated area of the bay, and then back out. It will keep all of our supplies and personnel out of the weather,” Wyant said.
The new site will open on December 7th at 8:00 AM. The location near 32nd and Nebraska Avenue is owned by Southwest Iowa Transit Agency, which donated the site for COVID testing.