PHOENIX —
Two weeks after Thanksgiving, new COVID-19 cases are erupting across the country. Holiday travel is a major concern as the virus keeps spreading.
“Since we opened on the 23rd, we’ve seen about a thousand people,” said XpresCheck Manager Lesley Shirley.
Health and wellness company "XpresSpa" opened a coronavirus testing location inside Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport in pre-security in Terminal 3, next to the PHX Sky Train corridor.
The testing site can test more than 400 people per day, but in two weeks has averaged around 71 tests.
The "XpresCheck Testing Facility" will have six testing rooms with COVID-19 testing options, including a rapid molecular COVID-19 test, the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Test, and the Blood Antibody Test.
There have been more than 33,000 new cases in Arizona in December alone. Physician Assistant Halen Hulsebus says if you’re traveling there’s no excuse not to get tested.
“Information at the end of the day is power, you’ll be able to take that information and know if you need to stay away from your loved ones are what the next step for you looks like if you had been exposed while you were here in Arizona,” said Hulsebus.
Many states and countries now requiring a negative test or mandatory quarantine to visit.
“To go to Hawaii, you have to do it within 72 hours,” said local business owner Sean Zahniser.
"XpresCheck is great because there are other places that take more than five days. We got here and they got us in within 10 minutes. It was very convenient."
“South Africa requires me to take a test with 72 hours of arrival and for an immediate appointment you have to wait days,” said Ingrid, who is traveling to South Africa later this week.
"Our entire goal is to re-establish confidence with the traveling public that you can come and get tested and feel comfortable to travel and not spread the virus," said Shirley.
XpresCheck serves travelers and the general public. They see airline and airport employees. The company is a trusted testing partner with the state of Hawaii. Shirley says so far around 80% of their traffic is visiting Hawaii.
Residents can pre-book their appointments in advance or come in for a walk-up visit. XpresCheck will verify the patient’s residency at the time of the test.
The nasal swab tests are sent to local labs for quicker turnarounds. And if they're positive, travelers are contacted to quarantine."
For updates on COVID-19, subscribe to the 12 News YouTube channel.