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			State Announces Community-Based 
			Testing Sites Now Open to All Expanded Criteria Will Allow Anyone to Get 
			Tested, Regardless of Symptoms
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            [September 11, 2020]  
             The State of Illinois is opening its 
			community-based testing sites to anyone to get tested, regardless of 
			symptoms or other criteria. As we move through the Restore Illinois 
			plan, and into a full reopening of the state, testing will be 
			crucial to identifying new cases and taking immediate action to 
			prevent additional spread.  | 
        
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			 As we move forward, COVID-19 testing must be 
			widely available and this is a step in that direction, said 
			Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) Director Alicia 
			Tate-Nadeau. The state-operated Community-Based Testing Sites 
			currently have the capacity to test more than 6,000 people per day, 
			and now there will be no restrictions to who can be tested for this 
			potentially deadly virus. 
 No appointment, doctor referral, or insurance is needed at state 
			operated drive-thru sites and testing is available at no cost to the 
			individual.
 
			
			 
			The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is recommending 
			anyone who has recently been part of a mass gathering, including 
			rallies and protests over the past week, get tested for coronavirus 
			disease (COVID-19).  
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            As people gather in large crowds with varying 
			degrees of social distancing, there is cause for concern about 
			COVID-19 spread and outbreaks, especially if masks were not worn 
			universally, said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. I urge anyone who 
			recently attended a rally, protest, or other mass gathering to get 
			tested for COVID-19 so we can identify any cases early. We recommend 
			testing 5-7 days after participating in large group rallies, or 
			immediately if symptoms develop. If there are known cases, we can 
			make sure those people are quarantined and not exposing other 
			individuals.
 The virus has been found to spread between people up to a couple 
			days before people start showing symptoms. Because of this, the 
			number of people an infected person could unknowingly expose can be 
			exponential.
 
            [Text from file received from
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