COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Health is bringing a COVID-19 pop-up testing event to Kent on Sunday October 18.
The pop-up testing site will be held at Stanton Middle School on 1175 Hudson Road in Kent from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
COVID-19 tests will be available free to anyone. No appointment is necessary and a health provider referral is not needed.
The state warns that test quantities may be limited.
The testing event comes just days after the city of Kent ordered more than 100 Kent State students into quarantine due to potential COVID-19 exposure.
Portage County is one of several Northeast Ohio counties that are in the "red" category in the Ohio Public Health Advisory System, which indicates "very high exposure and spread."
Cuyahoga County and Summit County have returned to a Level 3 coronavirus advisory. Nearby Stark County and Mahoning County remain red as well.
Northeast Ohio is hardly alone in this regard as 29 of Ohio's 88 counties are currently listed as Level 3 "red."
Altogether, 65 percent of Ohioans are currently living in red counties, with a total of 52 counties currently considered "high incidence."
The increase in red counties across Ohio comes as the state has seen a recent spike in its coronavirus data. On Friday, the Ohio Department of Health reported over 2,000 new cases for the third straight day.