The Maryland Department of Health will offer new COVID-19 testing sites in Bel Air and Annapolis beginning Friday, Gov. Larry Hogan announced Thursday.
The testing sites will open on Friday and offer walk-up only testing seven days a week, including New Year’s weekend. They will be located at University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health in Bel Air and at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, the governor’s office announced in a statement.
Both locations will offer PCR lab tests, which usually take 24 to 48 hours to process. Testing will be free of charge.
Hours and location for the new Maryland testing sites:
UM Upper Chesapeake Health
- Address: 500 Upper Chesapeake Drive, Bel Air, Maryland 21014
- Hours: seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Anne Arundel Medical Center
- Address: South Pavilion, 2001 Medical Parkway, Annapolis, Maryland 21401
- Hours: seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Maryland National Guard will provide staffing, security and logistical assistance at both sites.
Citing the continued spread of the Omicron variant and increased demand for testing, Hogan said in the statement that Maryland needed to pick up the slack where the federal government had fallen short.
“This morning, I held another call of our multi-agency COVID-19 task force, as we continue to take actions to address this surge,” said Hogan. “While the federal government has fallen short in expanding testing, we are doing all we can at the state level to further scale up these operations. In addition to getting tested, we urge Marylanders to get boosted now for the strongest possible protection against the highly transmissible Omicron variant.”
Other state officials emphasized the need for government and citizens to use all tools available to keep one another safe.
“Next to getting vaccinated and a booster shot, getting tested is another important tool we have to stay protected from COVID-19 and Omicron and other variants,” said Maryland Health Secretary Dennis R. Schrader. “These new sites further expand access for Marylanders to get tested, which will give them the information that they need to keep themselves and those around them safe.”
To find a testing site in Maryland, please visit COVIDtest.maryland.gov.