Illinois shutting down community COVID-19 testing sites on March 31 amid waning demand
CHICAGO (CBS) -- With demand for COVID tests dwindling and new cases at their lowest levels since last summer, the Illinois Department of Public Health plans to close its 10 community-based testing sites at the end of the month.
IDPH said the 10 sites in Aurora, Bloomington, Champaign, Fairview Heights, Harwood Heights, Peoria, Rockford, Arlington Heights, South Holland, and Waukegan have performed more than 1.5 million tests combined since they began operating in April 2020.
However, the number of tests conducted has dropped significantly in recent weeks as Illinois has emerged from the Omicron surge, and new cases of COVID-19 have plummeted to the point the state will be able to shut down those community testing sites on March 31.
"The number of daily tests conducted at these sites is on track to be the lowest on record with each site seeing fewer than 50 individuals per day," IDPH said in a press release.
The move to close community testing sites in Illinois comes just weeks after the state ended its indoor mask mandate on Feb. 28.
IDPH said, given the availability of at-home tests from the federal government, and other testing sites throughout the state, there are still ample convenient locations where people can get tested for COVID-19 if needed.
The state said they also have more than 1.5 million rapid tests on hand should they be needed if there's another surge in the pandemic, with another half million tests on the way.