HOLYOKE –  Nearly a year after they began drive through COVID-19 testing at Holyoke Community College (HCC), testing has been extended and the location has changed.

Chris Yurko, who serves as the college’s media relations manager, said the change of location was not the first one in the testing site’s history. When the testing site first opened in 2020, Yurko said the location was determined due to the long lines and warm weather. “Originally, when HCC started hosting the testing, it was over by the Bartley Center. Weather was warmer, [and] lines were very, very long,” he said.

However, as the weather transitioned into the winter months the site was changed to accommodate for workers to have appropriate shelter while they tested. “When it got colder, they moved it back by Donahue for shelter for workers. They had a room inside and access to the parking lot next to the building on the second floor of Donahue so they could come in and out,” he said.

Now, as warm weather makes an appearance in Western Massachusetts once again, Yurko said the site is now moving back to the original location. He said the change was due to the campus beginning to reopen to staff and students. The testing location’s site change was effective as of June 1.

Yurko said he had visited the site recently and there had been no wait or line of cars as there was when the testing site first opened. “I was there last week during the morning slot, there were a couple of cars, people just driving straight up. There wasn’t any kind of line, there hasn’t been for a while,” he said.

Yurko added everything else about the site was the same as before, including the hours, the time to get test results and the service being provided at no cost to residents. Additionally, services provided at the site have been extended through September. Yurko said he was unsure if they would be extended beyond then as the site was “really run by the Holyoke Board of Health,” in collaboration with HCC.

The testing site is open on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 7 to 11 a.m. On Tuesdays and Thursdays the site is open from 2 to 7 p.m. No appointment is required for residents and results for tests are available within a few days after testing takes place. Updates and weather cancellations at the site can be found at https://www.holyoke.org/departments/board-of-health.