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Heavy snow damage forces COVID testing site closure in Spokane, remains closed through Friday

The COVID-19 testing site at Spokane Falls Community College closed on Thursday after snow damaged one of the structures. It will remain closed through Friday.

SPOKANE, Wash. — People hoping to get a COVID-19 test at Spokane Falls Community College will need to look elsewhere or wait. SFCC had to close the site on Thursday after one of the structures on site collapsed under heavy snow.

The testing center will remain closed through Friday. 

The problem is with one of the center beams of the drive-through structure. Officials with Discovery Health MD, which operates the mass testing site, said the beam collapsed and it is not safe to be there.

A repair team is on the way to fix the beam but it is not clear how long the fix will take or whether the site will be able to open tomorrow.

People who had appointments for COVID-19 testing at SFCC on Thursday and Friday are being notified of the site closure by email or phone call. 

The staff that works on the site will be moving to the testing site at Spokane County Fair & Expo Center to help with the increased volume that is expected at that location.

Due to the extra testing at the Fair site today, it will only be able to test people who have appointments. All appointments for today have already been filled, and no drive-up testing will be available. 

The closure at SFCC comes at a time of high testing demand in Spokane County. Earlier this week, the Spokane Regional Manager for Discovery Health said that they have seen double the amount of appointments when compared to demands before the holidays.

"We're asking for people to just be patient," Hailey Normandin said. "There's no cheating the wait, but we're working as quickly and as safely as we can."

Discovery's regional manager said if you plan on making an appointment over the next few weeks, prepare for long waits and arrive early.

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