Free mobile COVID-19 testing headed to Sandy Springs

Sandy Springs officials are working to provide additional testing sites and masks for the community to help lower the number of cases of COVID-19. Pictured, Walmart pharmacist Shama Sarangi times a motorist doing a self swab to ensure a good sample at a new mobile COVID-19 drive-through testing site to serve rural stretches of Georgia in April. CURTIS COMPTON/ CCOMPTON@AJC.COM

Sandy Springs officials are working to provide additional testing sites and masks for the community to help lower the number of cases of COVID-19. Pictured, Walmart pharmacist Shama Sarangi times a motorist doing a self swab to ensure a good sample at a new mobile COVID-19 drive-through testing site to serve rural stretches of Georgia in April. CURTIS COMPTON/ CCOMPTON@AJC.COM

Sandy Springs officials are working to provide additional testing sites and masks to help lower the number of cases of COVID-19.

A mobile site for COVID-19 testing will open Monday for more than three weeks, and additional testing could become available in apartment communities.

During a City Council meeting Tuesday, Sandy Springs Fire Chief Keith Sanders said hot spot locations remain in the city that public safety and health officials are working to address. Earlier, Mayor Rusty Paul signed an order requiring face masks be worn in public spaces.

A free pop-up site for COVID-19 testing will open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, Aug. 24-Sept. 18 at the former North Springs Shopping Center.

The Community Organized Relief Effort will operate the site in partnership with Fulton County. Appointments can be scheduled the evening before or the day of the desired appointment by texting “COVID” to 678-802-9624. Visit coreresponse.org/covid-19/atlanta-ga on the day of testing to confirm.

Sanders said the public safety department is talking to apartment communities about setting up testing sites within those developments.

The city also plans to provide masks for apartment communities.

The fire department has provided 5,000 masks each to the Community Assistance Center and Solidarity Sandy Springs food pantry, city spokesperson Sharon Kraun said.

Sandy Springs was cited as being in a red zone for Georgia in a White House report from the coronavirus task force. The report dated Aug. 9 showed the city with more than 100 cases per 100,000 people.

Sandy Springs had 189 new cases from July 29-Aug. 12, according to a Fulton County Board of Health report, a 45% decrease from the previous two weeks, but the county leads the state in COVID-19 cases and deaths.