Local Libraries Distribute At-Home Covid Tests

LYNN KUTTER ENTERPRISE-LEADER
Molly Hutchins, Prairie Grove Public Library assistant, places a sign out front in preparation for handing out rapid at-home covid-19 tests. Area libraries served as a distribution point for the tests last week. Prairie Grove required curbside pickup for the tests.
LYNN KUTTER ENTERPRISE-LEADER Molly Hutchins, Prairie Grove Public Library assistant, places a sign out front in preparation for handing out rapid at-home covid-19 tests. Area libraries served as a distribution point for the tests last week. Prairie Grove required curbside pickup for the tests.

PRAIRIE GROVE -- Area libraries took on a new role last week to serve as distribution points for rapid at-home covid tests, and it didn't take long for all boxes to be gone, according to library staff from Prairie Grove, Lincoln and Farmington.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced during his Tuesday, Jan. 11, news conference the at-home tests would be delivered to local libraries that day.

Megan Wood, Prairie Grove Library director, said she received calls and texts within minutes of the governor's announcement.

The phone calls and texts continued throughout the rest of the day. She said some people were asking library staff to hold tests for them but Wood said the rapid tests had to be handed out first come, first serve.

Prairie Grove's library received 270 boxes, with two tests per box, and the boxes were limited to one box per individual or six per household. The tests were made available beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 12, and all were gone by 10:45 a.m., according to Molly Hutchins, library assistant.

"It was absolutely insane. The phone didn't stop ringing," said Hutchins. "But other than that, it was fine."

Prairie Grove required people to call first and then library staff would place the boxes on a table near the front door.

Diane Payne, director of Lincoln Public Library, said people were lined up at the door Wednesday, Jan. 12, before the library opened at 9 a.m. Lincoln received 360 boxes and they were all gone within one hour and 20 minutes, Payne said.

She had a table set up just inside the front door. Those who wanted the tests picked up the boxes from the table.

"I just stood there to direct them," Payne said.

Like Prairie Grove, she said the library staff received phone calls all day about the at-home covid-19 tests.

Rachel Sawyer, director of Farmington Public Library, said Farmington received 270 boxes and these were made available around 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 11, shortly after the boxes arrived for distribution. All boxes were gone by the time the library closed at 6 p.m.

Farmington used a combination of walk-ins and curbside pickup to hand out the boxes.

Glenda Audrain, Washington County Library System, said she learned local libraries would be used as distribution locations for the home tests during one of the governor's news conferences. The state library office then notified her afterward about the plan.

"I'm not really sure why they selected libraries except maybe as another avenue, another place to go (for tests)," Audrain said. "People generally know where libraries are."

The county library system received 50 cases, with each case containing 90 boxes. In addition to Farmington, Prairie Grove and Lincoln, the library system delivered cases to Greenland, Elkins, Springdale, Winslow and Fayetteville libraries.

The county library system received another round of the at-home tests on Thursday and these were distributed to local libraries. Prairie Grove and Farmington gave out all of their boxes, and Lincoln made their at-home kits available on Tuesday, Jan. 18.

"I think this is just to help until the tests are more commonly available and lines won't be so long," Audrain said. "We're just doing what we can to help."