Free COVID-19 testing will be offered Sunday, Nov. 1, at McDougle Middle School, 900 Old Fayetteville Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27516. See flyers below.
Pre-registration is encouraged and can be done online.
Regular testing events offered in Orange County include:
- Daily ― 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Whitted Human Services Center in Hillsborough. No testing will be offered at this site on Election Day, Nov. 3.
- Every Wednesday ― Alternating each Wednesday between two sites in Chapel Hill: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the R-7 Parking Lot, 725 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. or 4 to 8 p.m. at the Nash Parking Lot on Wilson Street. See the county’s COVID-19 Testing page for each week’s location.
- Third Saturday of each month ― 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lattisville Grove Missionary Baptist Church, 1701 Jimmy Ed Road in Hurdle Mills.
- Fourth Saturday of each month ― noon to 4 p.m. at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 940 Carmichael St. in Chapel Hill.
Testing is drive through or walk up. Anyone can receive a test regardless of whether they are showing symptoms or are a close contact of someone positive for the virus. Registration is offered on site, and the nasal swab tests are billed to insurance or provided free to those without insurance.
The county is partnering with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to offer weekly evaluative testing to university employees and on- and off-campus students at the Wednesday events in Chapel Hill.
For up-to-date testing information, see the county’s COVID-19 Testing page.
Slow COVID
Close contact definition has changed ― The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its definition of a close contact to COVID-19. A close contact is now considered someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period. Virus transmission can occur two days before illness onset. Anyone who has had close contact with a person positive for COVID should be tested and should alert their close contacts of the possible exposure.
Clusters from social gatherings ― In the past two weeks, North Carolina has seen an increase in COVID-19 clusters from social events and other gatherings, such as parties, family gatherings, weddings and funerals. The state now has guidance for hosts and guests of private gatherings. See the guidance in the attachments below. The state also now offers a weekly report on clusters in the state. See the Outbreaks and Clusters page, available through the COVID-19 North Carolina Dashboard page.
Exposure notification app ― You can help slow transmission of the virus by using the state’s new SlowCOVIDNC Exposure Notification app. Download the app, enable your Bluetooth and Exposure Notification settings, and be notified if you have been in close contact with someone who has shared a positive COVID-19 test result in the app.
Once you opt-in to the notification system, you can also anonymously share a positive COVID-19 test result in the app. SlowCOVIDNC protects your identity and privacy while empowering you to protect yourself, your family, and your community.
Information on the app is available in English and Spanish.
