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Godfrey-Lee Public Schools offers rapid response COVID-19 testing to students, staff

Posted at 6:00 AM, Oct 07, 2020
and last updated 2020-10-07 06:00:48-04

WYOMING, Mich. — Godfrey-Lee Public Schools will have rapid response COVID-19 saliva tests available to all students and staff showing symptoms.

There will be no cost to students or their families, according to a news release.

The testing program is a pilot in collaboration with the Kent County Health Department and Arctic Medical laboratories.

Students or staff flagged by the daily health screener will be eligible for testing and will get results within 24 hours.

“Testing is another mitigation strategy we believe to be critical in keeping our schools open for in-person learning,” Superintendent Kevin Polston said.

Private health insurance or Medicaid will be billed for the testing, though the district is using CARES Act funds to pay for tests for uninsured individuals.

After the pilot program with the Godfrey-Lee school district, these rapid tests may become available to other Kent County districts.

“Our goal is to identify COVID-19 students and staff quickly so that they can be isolated,” said Joann Hoganson, director of the community wellness division within the Kent County Health Department. “This will help prevent the spread of the virus in the schools.”