WILMINGTON — The specific time has been announced for a drive-thru style COVID-19 testing event in Clinton County on Saturday, Dec. 12. It will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The free testing will take place at the Clinton County Engineer’s Office facility located at 1326 Fife Avenue on Wilmington’s east end. No preregistration or medical coordination is required.

This event is a collaboration among community groups, the local health district, National Guard, and local emergency management.

Clinton County Commissioner Mike McCarty said, “This COVID testing event provides a great avenue for people with accessibility issues, whether that’s financially or mobility to get tested quickly and effectively.”

This event is possible because of the outstanding support of community volunteers. “I believe it is my patriotic duty to support this event,” said Pastor Tom Stephenson of First Christian Church in Wilmington.

Stephenson continued, “It is part of our service toward one another in such a critical time.” He has recruited 40 volunteers to work the testing site.

Local testing comes at a critical time for businesses, which have been struggling all year.

“The fate of our local business community lies in our ability to control the spread of COVID-19,” said Dessie Rogers, executive director of the Wilmington-Clinton County Chamber of Commerce. She added, “We cannot have healthy businesses without healthy employees, customers, and supply chains. This free and accessible testing opportunity is a great proactive step — along with masks, hand washing, and distancing — to assessing the local situation and putting our future on a better trajectory.”

McCarty summarized the teamwork as “amazing volunteers filled with the Christmas spirit coming together to make this happen. It speaks great volumes about how wonderful our community is to live in.”