FALLS CHURCH, Va. — As we inch closer to the start of school, the concern about the uptick in positive coronavirus cases is growing. As we’ve all seen the last few days, getting through a testing line can take hours. It’s caused quite the headache for folks in Fairfax County Thursday
Availability and access to testing are top of mind for many people, to stop the spread of the virus, but so is the traffic nightmare this one testing site has caused.
Natalie Duncan works for the school district. She waited for at least three hours in a long line of traffic to get tested. She's leery about returning to work in person.
"I do believe we shouldn’t be going back to school next week," she said.
The long lines were no surprise to most people who went to get tested. Neighbors who live along Gatehouse Road, however, are frustrated by the mayhem this testing site has caused.
"The police are as frustrated as I am, and they shut down our neighborhood. We can't leave our homes; we’re completely trapped," one neighbor said.
Fairfax County Police began directing traffic during the lunch rush. Initially, the congestion turned Gallows Road into a parking lot, as more officers arrived, they began rerouting traffic.
Still, one neighbor is frustrated at what he called, lack of logistical planning.
"I think it’s good to have testing. I think it’s incredibly short-sighted and foolish to have all the Fairfax County schools report to one location. That’s so obviously dumb I don’t know who could’ve possibly made that decision and thought it was a good one," he said.
Despite the woes felt from the length lines, a 14-year-old girl who tested positive for the virus on Christmas Eve is ready to go back to class.
"I think that people should always wear a mask just to keep you safer, even though everyone is vaccinated. Clearly, if you are vaccinated, you can still get COVID, but if you’re vaccinated it probably won’t have as much of an impact and you can stay safer," she said.
Mark Emery works for Fairfax County Schools, but not in a school setting. He said he's comfortable returning to work after getting tested.
"I was exposed about 10 days ago, my daughter had COVID a few days after I saw her so I’m just checking out to see what’s going on,"
Liz Mullan waited in line for nearly three hours. She's a teacher in Fairfax County. She said she hasn't been exposed to the virus that she knows about.
"I have symptoms, a cold, so I want to make sure it's not it," she said. Adding she's not nervous about returning to in-person learning.
"No, we have all the protocols in place, so no, I'm not. I just want to make sure I'm protecting the kids," Mullan said.