Atlanta, GA — The DeKalb County Board of Health is temporarily shutting down its Piney Grove COVID-19 testing site on Friday, Feb. 5, due to staffing issues caused by illness.

“Due to staffing challenges, the DeKalb County Board of Health has cancelled all scheduled COVID-19 testing appointments at its Greater Piney Grove Baptist Church testing site, located at 1879 Glenwood Ave., SE, in Atlanta,” the Board of Health announced. “Those individuals who had appointments scheduled have been notified and provided options to reschedule or register for testing at another location, including testing sites in neighboring counties.”

Decaturish on Feb. 4 became aware of appointments being canceled at the site. Eric Nickens, a spokesperson for the Board of Health, said the closure was due to staffing issues and the Board of Health sent out the press release shortly thereafter.

Nickens confirmed the staffing issues are being caused by illness. He could not confirm whether staffers had contracted COVID.

“I cannot elaborate any further due to HIPAA,” he said.

The Board of Health is still accepting appointments for testing.

“Appointments and registration for COVID-19 testing is required and available online,” the announcement from the Board of Health said. “To ensure testing resources are available for individuals who have pre-registered for testing on their scheduled date and time, pre-registrations will be verified to ensure that the appointment date matches the actual day. Individuals scheduled for a future date will be asked to return on their scheduled day. COVID-19 testing is free and open to all individuals who wish to be tested. A driver’s license or identification card is not required. For more resources and information about COVID-19, visit the DeKalb County Board of Health’s COVID-19 website at dekalbhealth.net/covid-19.”

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