PG County Coronavirus Screening Center Opens At FedEx Field

LANDOVER, MD — Prince George's County residents exhibiting symptoms of the new coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, will have a place to go to get screened starting Monday morning. Screenings, however, will be available by appointment only, according to a PG County release.

Over the last week, the PG County Health Department and the Maryland National Guard have been setting up a screening facility at FedEX Field in Landover. The facility, which began screening patients Monday at 10 a.m., was established to take the pressure off area physicians, hospitals, emergency rooms, and health care centers expected to see a flood of COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks.

Individuals who show up at FedEx Field without an appointment or who do not display symptoms, will not be screened. Anyone who has prescriptions from a primary care physician or other health care providers still need to make an appointment through the PG County Health Department’s COVID-19 Hotline and telehealth services by calling 301-883-6627.

The following procedure for obtaining an appointment for screening is taken verbatim from the PG County Health Department's guidance:

1. Call the Prince George's County Health Department Coronavirus hotline at (301) 883- 6627 to schedule an initial telehealth screening.
2. The telehealth medical professional will speak to the caller to obtain information to determine if the patient meets the CDC testing requirements.
3. If the caller meets CDC testing guidelines, they will receive an appointment time and an appointment number (from 1 to 100 **MUST KEEP ASSIGNED APPOINTMENT NUMBER) to go to the FedExField site on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday- they must show up at their appointment time, with their appointment number, and be able to answer questions based on their telehealth screening.
4. Upon arriving at the testing site, the individual will receive instruction from law enforcement as to where to park and when to exit their vehicle.
5. The individual will walk to the checkpoint and give their appointment number, then they will be escorted to a tent based on their symptoms.
6. If the individual meets testing requirements outlined by the CDC, they will be escorted to the testing tent. Following the testing, the individual will be given instructions on home self-care, and social distancing.
7. Those who do not meet CDC guidelines will not be tested. Those individuals who do not meet criteria but are symptomatic will receive instructions on home self-care and self-isolation, as needed. Those individuals who are asymptomatic will receive instructions on home self-care and social distancing. The individual will then be escorted to the exit.

The FedEx screening facility is staffed by PG County Health Department officials with support from the Maryland Department of Health, the Maryland National Guard, the Maryland Medical Reserve Corps, and the University of Maryland Medical System.

In this video, members of the Maryland National Guard set up tents on March 20, at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.

(Video: U.S. Army National Guard video by Sgt. 1st Class Thaddeus Harrington, Sgt. Chazz Kibler, Sgt. Elise Moore).