The Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH) today announced that a free, outdoor drive-up COVID-19 testing site in Somerset County will be open to anyone who feels they need a test. This testing site was organized in collaboration with the Cambria-Somerset COVID-19 Task Force and the Somerset County Department of Emergency Services, and the site is available through a partnership with AMI Expeditionary Healthcare (AMI).

The testing site is Friedens Lutheran Church, 131 South Main St., Friedens, PA, 15541. The testing dates and times for this location are:

  • Wednesday, Nov. 3, Thursday, Nov. 4, and Friday, Nov. 5 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Saturday, Nov. 6 from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Monday, Nov. 8 and Tuesday, Nov. 9 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

When arriving at the site, follow the outdoor signs to drive to the outdoor carport, and remain in your vehicle. Testing is on a first-come, first-serve basis and is completely free. No appointment is necessary. Testing is open to individuals from any county who are ages 3 and older. Individuals are not required to show symptoms of COVID-19 to be tested, and people can be tested regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status. People are encouraged to bring a photo-ID, but ID is not required to be tested. Insurance is not required to be tested.

Mid-nasal passage swab PCR tests will be performed. Up to 450 people can be tested per day. Registration will be completed on-site. The turnaround time for testing results is one to three days after testing. Individuals who test positive will receive a phone call from AMI while individuals who test negative will receive a secured-PDF emailed from AMI.

If fully vaccinated Pennsylvanians experience symptoms, or come into contact with someone who has COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises getting tested 3-5 days after exposure, even if the person has no symptoms. The CDC also advises wearing a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until your test result is negative. If the result were to be positive, the CDC advises isolating for 10 days. It is important that even people with no symptoms who have tested positive isolate to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Individuals who are tested should self-quarantine while they await their test results. Individuals who live with other people should self-quarantine in a private room and use a private bathroom, if possible. Others living in the home with the individual awaiting test results should also stay at home. The department has additional instructions for individuals waiting for a COVID-19 test result.

The department has contracted with AMI to perform pop-up COVID-19 testing in counties across the state since September 2020. The contracts were funded by the federal Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) Enhancing Detection grant. Counties under the initial contract, as well as the total number of patients tested, can be found here. Counties served under the first contract extension, as well as the total number of patients tested, can be found here. For the latest information for individuals, families, businesses and schools, visit “Responding to COVID-19” on pa.gov.