COLUMBUS, Ohio — At pop-up locations around Columbus on Friday, anyone who waited in line and twirled a swab in their nostrils could get a free COVID-19 test.  

Six locations in Columbus offered the one day “pop-up” testing with none of the usual requirements related to exposure, symptoms, or occupation.

Dozens of Ohioans took advantage of the opportunity Friday morning at a PrimaryOne Health drive-thru testing site at St. Stephens Community House in Columbus’s Linden neighborhood.

Governor Mike DeWine said Thursday the locations were selected to help residents of underserved areas get access to a test.

Granville resident Chris McNeil said he came out to get a test to learn more about the process after he saw a tweet from the Governor about the pop-ups. McNeil is a human resources manager at a metal fabrication company where there is discussion of testing all employees regularly.

When McNeil arrived at the testing site early Friday morning to beat any possible long lines, he was instructed to first call and make an appointment. When he returned a few hours later he said he only had to wait behind one car.

McNeil was pleasantly surprised that the test was a fairly painless self-swab.

“It wasn’t as horrifying as I thought it would be. Everybody had scared me into thinking it was going to be like a swab to the brain,” he said. “It wasn’t something I’d want to do every day, but it certainly was not as bad as I had thought it would be.”

Columbus resident Sarah Thomas said she went to get a test because her roommate had just tested positive.

“It was kind of surreal to find out she had it. It was kind of shocking,” she said, while sitting in her car on-hold on her phone waiting to make an appointment.

“It’s nice that this testing is free, and I live close to here, so hopefully it’ll be quick once I talk to them and make an appointment.”

An officer at the entrance to the facility greeted those arriving to the site— a parking lot with white tents marked off by orange traffic cones. She instructed everyone to call a phone number to schedule an appointment. The wait time was about 15 minutes.

The PrimaryOne Health representative who answered the phone collected basic personal information and took down insurance info and social security numbers, but the tests are free for people who lack health insurance, and non-citizens are eligible for testing.

Inside the testing tent, healthcare workers hand out a swab shaped like a Q-tip, which is inserted for 15 seconds in each nostril and placed in a sealed tube. The samples are then processed and results are returned in 48-72 hours.

National Guard officers were on-site in addition to healthcare workers at the testing locations.

PrimaryOne Health, which ran four of the six sites, had been offering testing three days per week since June 1, said James Sims, a representative of the health center. Prior to Friday's pop-up initiative, however, the testing sites’ hours were more limited and only individuals who met CDC criteria, first responders, and patients with symptoms were eligible for testing.

Sims said it was unclear if the health center would offer more open-to-all testing dates after Friday.

Kathryn Lenox, a PrimaryOne Health project manager who was on-site, said it makes sense for people who attended crowded protests following the killing of George Floyd to get a test.

“Testing is a good idea for anyone who thinks that they could have been exposed, for anyone who thinks they might have symptoms, or really for anyone at all for your own piece of mind,” she said.