In response to a sharp drop in demand for COVID-19 testing, the state’s 10 coronavirus testing sites, including the Aurora location on Farnsworth Avenue, will permanently close on Thursday.
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Friday that they expected testing operations to wind down once the mask mandate was lifted. The sites, which carried out more than 1.5 million tests in total, saw traffic “drop precipitously in recent weeks,” officials said.
The sites are currently handling less than 1% of tests conducted statewide, with each site seeing less than 50 people per day, officials said in a news release.
With an increase in free at-home COVID-19 tests from the federal government, a statewide network of health centers and SHIELD saliva testing sites, officials said there are ample and convenient opportunities for residents to find a test if needed.
Officials also cited the anticipated end of federal funding for the testing centers as another factor in closing the sites.
COVID-19 vaccinations offered at the Aurora site will also end on Thursday.
During the fall and winter months, the Aurora testing site at 2450 N. Farnsowrth Ave. across from the Chicago Premium Outlets mall saw a high demand for testing. The state expanded its days of operation from four days a week to six days a week in January due to the number of people wanting COVID-19 tests.
On Jan. 10, around one in five people tested positive for COVID-19 in Kane County. Since then, Kane County’s positivity rate has dropped dramatically to 2.5% as of Tuesday, according to state data.
The Illinois Department of Public Health created the drive-thru testing sites in the state in April of 2020 when there were few options for residents to get tested. Demand for tests at the sites reached a peak of more than 1,040 tests per day at each site in November 2020.
