The Harry Stone Recreation Center will administer drive-thru COVID-19 testing every Wednesday for five weeks beginning Jan. 27.
Testing will be available from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 2403 Millmar Drive. The last day of testing will be March 5.
Appointments are required and can be made at mobilecovidtest.com. Results for a PCR test can be expected in one to two days.
The recreation center will be transformed into a testing site after a failed attempt to turn it into a vaccine registration hub as well. On Wednesday, District 9 Councilwoman Paula Blackmon sent a memo to City Manager T.C. Broadnax requesting staff support setting up the hub. She wrote:
After reviewing the events of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, it is clear that Dallas County and the City of Dallas must collaborate in reaching out to our hardest-to-reach neighbors to educate them about the COVID-19 vaccination and assist, when needed, with registration for the vaccine. In District 9, there are many hard-to-reach communities with language barriers who may or may not have access to the internet. I understand that staff is capable of supplying laptops and PPE, and staff has asked Council members to supply volunteers to register individuals for the vaccinations and identify locations, dates and times for the registration “hubs.” I also request that the City assist with marketing efforts regarding the registration hubs but understand that the hardest-to-reach neighbors do not often monitor City communication channels.
Councilmen Chad West in District 1, Adam Medrano in District 2, Jaime Resendez in District 5, Omar Narvaez in District 6 and Adam Bazaldua in District 7 sent similar letters requesting support setting up registration hubs in their districts.
Staff was told by Mayor Eric Johnson to halt any efforts related to individual Council members seeking to give assistance to hard-to-reach communities under current emergency management authority, Blackmon said.
“I am deeply disappointed in this decision as this site is needed to help people register for the vaccine who may not have access to the internet and/or have a language barrier,” Blackmon said on the Dallas City Council District 9 Facebook page. “If our city is to open fully, we need everyone vaccinated.”
Blackmon sent the request again to Johnson, saying that Harry Stone was intended to be a one-stop shop for neighbors to get tested for the virus and register for the vaccine.
