Washington Center for the Performing Arts offers free COVID-19 testing to public
Residents and visitors to downtown Olympia can now receive free COVID-19 testing Monday through Friday at no cost to them, according to a press release.
The Washington Center for the Performing Arts has partnered with the city of Olympia and Curative, a health care startup company, to provide on-site testing for Washington Center and Harlequin Productions artists and audiences, as well as the general public, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays.
Community members can schedule appointments ahead of time, or they can walk up to the Curative kiosk outside the Washington Center box office.
Curative is providing PCR tests, which detect genetic material from the COVID-19 virus, and results are delivered within 24-72 hours after the test is taken. They are being provided at no out-of-pocket expense and are instead billed to private insurance or covered by federal funding.
Rapid antigen tests are currently unavailable at this location, but kiosk hours will expand to include weekends and show nights once they are available.
“We are so happy to have this opportunity to serve our artists and audiences, but also to take part in the larger context of community health, as we all navigate this pandemic together,” said Jill Barnes, Washington Center executive director.
“The theater, by nature, brings large groups of strangers together, and this is one of a few tools available to complement other mitigations to make it safe to experience live events together.”
This story was originally published October 8, 2021 at 9:35 AM.
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