Free COVID-19 testing available locally

Free testing for COVID-19 is in Wimberley, and the plans are to keep it available for the foreseeable future.

The Texas Division of Emergency Management is expanding testing throughout the state in conjunction with Curative Inc., a California-based mobile testing company. Curative has vans parked in multiple locations throughout Hays County including the Wimberley Community Center, The Triangle park in Dripping Springs, Ramon Lucio Park in San Marcos and the Hays Performing Arts Center in Kyle.

These mobile testing facilities are open at various times in each community. In Wimberley, the facility is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“It is a really quick simple process,” Maya Ballejo, site lead for the Wimberley

Curative COVID-19 testing van, said. “It is an oral swab. You have the swab in your mouth for about 20 seconds. You go all around your cheeks, the roof of your mouth, your tongue, underneath your tongue. It is 20 seconds inside your mouth, and it is completely painless.”

The tests are free and take about 20 minutes. Results come back within 48 hours.

“The whole thing takes about 15 minutes,” Bellejo said. “If you are on your lunch break or if you need to get tested because you are traveling or seeing someone in a senior home or a hospital we can get that done for you.”

Bellejo said there was not a timeline on how long the facilities would be open in each community but that she believes the intent, as of right now, is to leave each facility in place for the foreseeable future.