SFMC drive-through coronavirus test center to close

The communitywide Coronavirus Test Collection Center in Arena Park in Cape Girardeau will close, effective immediately, according to a statement from Saint Francis Medical Center.

“If the region experiences a surge in positive COVID-19 cases, the Center will reopen to serve the needs of our community,” the statement read.

In the past week, the Center has experienced a rapid decline in the number of tests performed each day, in large part due to the state’s “Stay at Home” order, according to the statement.

SFMC operates multiple testing locations in the region.

All testing locations are by appointment only, and require a prescreening. Anyone seeking a test must first call the Coronavirus Community Nurse Hotline at (573) 331-4200, which is staffed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Nurses provide screening to those who think they have been exposed to COVID-19. If a patient meets Department of Health and Senior Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention screening criteria, the patient will be directed to the nearest testing location.

Those experiencing emergent medical symptoms should call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room, the statement read.

“If you have mild symptoms and would not have driven to the emergency room six months ago, please do not go now,” the statement continued. “You should stay home, self-quarantine and call the Coronavirus Community Nurse Hotline for next steps.”