The City of Cleburne will close its COVID-19 testing center on Aug. 28 as demand declines and more local testing options are available.
The testing center, made available by Cleburne Fire and Texas Health Cleburne, will conclude operations at the end of business Friday, Aug. 28. The center, which operates out of the Cleburne Senior Center, will have served for 17 weeks and is projected to test more than 2,200 people. The center was available for Cleburne and Johnson County residents who have either been in close contact with a known positive case or exhibiting any of the disease’s symptoms.
“The testing center has helped thousands of people know their COVID-19 status and provided essential data about community spread,” said Dr. Michelle Beeson, Cleburne’s local health authority. “Now that testing numbers are declining, alternate testing locations are now available, and Johnson County will continue to receive data from the state for surveillance purposes, this is the time for us to demobilize the center.”
The City first opened its testing center on May 4 to fulfill the need for local testing and data gathering of the virus’ spread in the community. Over the course of three months, more testing options have opened in Cleburne and data is available through Johnson County and the State. Over the past three weeks, the testing center has seen a decline in tests conducted.
“I would like to express my appreciation to Cleburne Fire Department and the City of Cleburne for providing countless hours of service on so many levels to ensure that access to testing was available for both our city and Johnson County when it quickly became apparent that there was a critical need for rapid COVID testing," Dr. Beeson said.
Public safety staff has contacted local testing facilities about the upcoming demobilization. Each expressed the ability to absorb the testing demand. The local health authority and public safety leaders will continue to monitor the spread of the disease and have the ability to restart testing capabilities if necessary.
“We are proud to have been able to provide this service for Cleburne in a time when residents did not have many options,” Fire Chief Scott Lail said. “While there are local options for testing and we see a decrease in testing needs, Cleburne Fire remains ready to re-mobilize if the need arises.”