Free testing for COVID-19 was offered Monday and Tuesday at the Platte City Middle School parking lot. On Wednesday it was announced that 581 tests were conducted over the course of the two-day drive-through event in Platte City. One of those taking advantage of the complimentary service was Platte City Mayor Frank Offutt. The Platte County Health Department explained that the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, in partnership with the Missouri National Guard, set up the large scale testing site. Administering the nasal swab test upon the mayor were National Guardsmen Dalton Murphy, left, of Maryville, a specialist with the 129th Field Artillery Regiment, and Brody Geist, PFC, of Independence. Offutt was feeling no symptoms, but felt getting tested was a civic-minded thing to do. “The test itself was a brief minor discomfort,” he said afterward. The next day Offutt received official word that he had tested negative for the virus. The only eligibility requirement for the free testing was to be a Missouri resident. “It is important for the health of our residents that we continue to monitor the presences of the virus in our community as we continue to open the county back up,” said Mary Jo Vernon, director of the Platte County Health Department.
Ivan Foley/Landmark photo