Chicago Expands Testing As Coronavirus Cases Continue To Spike

CHICAGO — Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday announced the city is set to open a new coronavirus testing site at a Midway Airport parking lot as part of an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.

The mayor announced she would tap $14 million in grants to bolster testing in neighborhoods that have been hit the hardest by the pandemic.

“Chicago is setting new testing records every day and it is our highest priority to ensure that testing remains equitably accessible and available to Chicago’s most vulnerable residents,” Lightfoot said. “We will continue to work with partners and direct resources to the communities who have been hit the hardest by this pandemic.”

The city's public health department also has distributed more than 40,000 rapid antigen tests to community health centers to boost testing capability as testing demand spikes.

Beginning Monday, city-run testing will be available at:

• Prosser Career Academy at 2148 N. Long Ave on weekdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Midway Airport in Parking Lot B, 5738 W 55th Street on Tuesday and Thursdays between noon and 6 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Saucedo Scholastic Academy, 2850 W. 24th Blvd., on weekdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Gately Park, 744 E. 103rd St., on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The city also has deployed mobile testing efforts. Details about those sites are updated weekly online.