Detroit sets up drive-thru coronavirus screening site at State Fairgrounds

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced Wednesday that a drive-thru testing site will be set up at the State Fairgrounds to test up to 400 people each day.

Duggan give an update on recent developments on the city's response to COVID-19 Wednesday afternoon. Among the updates is the establishment of a drive-thru facility that will be set up in Detroit.

FOX 2 is streaming the press conference on this page and on our Facebook page here.

Mayor Duggan, Public Safety Health Director Dr. Robert Dunne and the CEOs of several area health systems will all be in attendance to discuss the latest developments.

Duggan said the city was setting up the facility at the State Fairgrounds along 8 Mile Road but it will be by appointment only. Quicken Loans has set up a call bank that will be staffed and appointments will be made six days a week.

Duggan explained that 40 to 50 people will be seen each hour at the fairgrounds but it will be by appointment only and a prescription will be required.

If you have symptoms, you're urged to call your doctor to confirm. You or your doctor can then call 313-230-0505, Monday – Sunday.

Bring a valid ID and any written testing order or prescription from your doctor

REMEMBER: Individuals who do not have an appointment and a physician order will not be tested.

Testing will be done outside Joe Dumars Fieldhouse at the State Fairgrounds. Should you need to be seen, you should enter off E. State Fair Ave.

The unofficial epicenter of coronavirus in Michigan is Metro Detroit.

Detroit reports 12 deaths (705 total cases), Wayne County reports 9 deaths (417 cases), 10 deaths in Oakland County (543 cases), and 7 deaths in Macomb County (281 cases).

App users can click on the map here

All of Michigan is under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-home order. The strict order came with a warning that a million people in Michigan could need hospital beds if Michiganders keep going out in public and spreading the illness, especially if unknowingly.

The stay-home order lasts for at least three weeks and is in efforts to start slowing the spread of the virus to help preserve hospital staff, beds and ventilators.

You can get more details about what can and cannot be done under the stay-home order here.

Why social distancing can save lives amid COVID-19 pandemic

Social distancing is not only about preventing the illness itself, but rather, slowing the rate at which people get sick. 

Earlier on Wednesday, the Detroit Police Department said a 50-year-old police captain had died from complications after catching Coronavirus.

"This is a reminder of why Gov. Whitmer's order was so important. It is not just elderly people who are dying of this disease," Mayor Mike Duggan said. "Something about it, young individuals are severely affected as well."

Symptoms for coronavirus COVID-19 include fever, coughing, and shortness of breath.

To protect yourself, wash your hands well and often, keep them away from your face, and avoid crowds and standing close to people.

Are you showing symptoms? Try Beaumont's virtual screening tool

And if you do find yourself showing any of these flu or coronavirus symptoms - don't go straight to your doctor's office. That just risks making more people sick, officials urge. Call ahead, and ask if you need to be seen and where.

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