Georgia National Guard provides free COVID-19 testing for Macon

Tuesday morning, almost 100 cars lined up outside of Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church to receive free testing for COVID-19.

The event was made possible through a partnership with the Georgia National Guard and the Historic Macon Foundation.

“[A Georgia National Guard officer] shared the rollout initiative for testing and asked if our neighborhood would be interested and we said ‘Absolutely,'” says Beall’s Hill coordinator Sherry Olivier.

People asking for a test didn’t have to have symptoms to be tested and only have to wait 72 hours to get their results.

With Georgia reopening operations, Olivier feels it’s especially important to know your health status.

“It’s important for us to keep understanding how many are testing positive and how many people are testing negative,” says Olivier.

Olivier adds that the event was a reminder about the strength and camaraderie of the Macon community.

“It was an incredible feeling to see the volunteers that came out from the church,” says Olivier. “There was a lot of joy and a lot of laughter among people… it was very encouraging.”

Georgia National Guard will be holding another testing event at Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church May 5 starting at 10:30 am.