LUBBOCK, Texas – Following Governor Greg Abbott’s orders, Lubbock Fire Rescue has began COVID-19 testing at local nursing homes.
“We are paying attention to the high risk population and we wanna test all of them to make sure that if they do have it, we’re gonna find out who they’ve been in contact with and try to stop the spread,” said Lieutenant Phillip Grandon with Lubbock Fire Rescue.
Lake Ridge Nursing and Rehabilitation was one of the first nursing homes where LFR conducted Coronavirus testing on Tuesday. Nearly 200 residents and workers were tested.
“It’s very important for the staff to get tested just because they are in these high risk facilities every day,” said Grandon. “As they go back to their homes out in the community, we just don’t want them to bring it back to these high risk areas where the residents are highly susceptible to the virus.”
The 20 firefighters that have volunteered to assist with testing have been trained on how to properly treat vulnerable populations and are equipped with essential personal protective equipment.
“The task force has gloves, gowns, and masks,” said Grandon. “The last thing we wanna do if we have it is to spread it to the residents.”
LFR hopes to have conducted COVID-19 testing at every nursing facility by May 28.
