Miller Park to become Milwaukee's main testing hub, Mayor Barrett says

On Tuesday, Mayor Tom Barrett announced that Miller Park will become Milwaukee's centralized hub for COVID-19 testing beginning Oct.

19.

AND WHEN I SAY THAT, WHAT I MEANIS WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE WILLCONTINUE THE ROBUST TESTINGWE'VE HAD IN MILWAUKEE, SINCEMAY AND WE WANT -- OUR GOALS ARETO MAKE SURE IT IS ACCESSIBLEAND IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THECITY.AND, TO MAKE SURE IT ISSOMETHING PEOPLE CAN RELY ON.SO, I'M PLEASED TO SHARE WITHYOU OUR PLANS, TO CREATE ACONSOLIDATED, CENTRALIZEDCOMMUNITY TESTING LOCATION,BEGINNING OCTOBER 19TH.SO, A WEEK FROM NEXT MONDAY.WE WILL HAVE A CENTRALIZEDDRIVE-THROUGH LOCATION, ATMILLER PARK AND MILLER PARKBRINGS A LOT OF ADVANTAGES TOTHIS.BECAUSE OF THE LOCATION.BECAUSE OF THE GREAT COOPERATIONWITH PEOPLE PHENOMENAL TO WORKWITH AS WELL AND WANT TO MAKESURE WHAT WE ARE DOING IS, WEARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO HARVEYTHE SITE PEOPLE CAN FROM AROUNDTHE CITY, AND, FROM THESURROUNDING AREAS, UTILIZE, ANDWE FEEL VERY, VERY CONFIDENTWE'LL BE ABLE TO DO THAT.SO, TO BE SURE EVERYONE IS INPROXIMITY TO TESTING, WE WILLHAVE TWO WHAT I WOULD CALLREGIONAL SITES, FOR THE CITY.ONE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THECITY AND ONE ON THE SOUTH SIDEAND WE'LL BE USING MILWAUKEE,THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT'SNORTHWEST HEALTH CENTER, AT 7630WEST MILL ROAD AND THE SOUTHSIDE HEALTH CENTER, AT 1639SOUTH 23rd STREET.THOSE SITES, BOTH WILL BEOPENING NEXT MONDAY.SO, THEY'LL HAVE A WEEK OFOVERLAP, WHERE YOU WILL BE ABLETO GET TESTED AT -- AND GETTESTED AND YOU CAN GO TO THENORTHWEST SIDE HEALTH CENTER ORTHE SOUTH SIDE HEALTH CENTER.THE CUSTER SITE WILL RAMP DOWN.SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17TH.SO, AGAIN, THIS WILL BE ASEAMLESS TRANSITION.DURING THE FINAL WEEK THOSE TWOSITES ARE OPEN, YOU'LL HAVE THEOPPORTUNITY TO USE OUR HEALTHDEPARTMENT SITES AND BEGINNINGTHE MONDAY AFTER THE CLOSE OUTOF THE TWO NATIONAL GUARD SITES,YOU WILL BE ABLE TO GO MILLERPARK AS WELL.THIS IS GOING TO RESULT INACTUALLY MORE TESTING CAPACITY,WHICH IS SOMETHING WE THINK ISVERY, VERY PIERN.AND, THE FACT THAT TWO TESTINGSITES IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS WILLCOMPLEMENT THE MILLER PARK HUBAND I THINK PROVIDE REALLY THEOVERLAP WE ARE LOOKING FOR TOMAKE SURE PEOPLE IN DIFFERENTPARTS OF THE CITY, CAN TAKEADVANTAGE OF THIS.SO, OUR OVERALL GOAL FOR MILLERPARK, IS TESTING SITE IS TOMAINTAIN THE TESTING CAPACITY.WE ARE CURRENTLY OFFERING AT OURCUSTER SITE.WHICH IS 2,000 TESTS PER DAY.AND, THE NORTHWEST SITE CENTERAND THE SOUTH SIDE CENTER WILLBE ABLE TO DO 400 TESTS, EACHSITE, A DAY.SO OUR CAPACITY IS ACTUALLYGOING TO BE INCREASING FROM2,