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By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Managing Editor

NORTH SHELBY – Expected to be open until 2 p.m., COVID-19 (Coronavirus) testing at Church of the Highlands Grandview shut down close to noon on Tuesday, March 17, after more than 2,000 people showed up when they could only accommodate 500 tests.

Assurance Scientific Labs was conducting the testing at the church during its first day giving out the test. It was originally scheduled to be open from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., but cars were backed up down U.S. 280 in both directions before the facility opened, which caused major delays and even shut down portions of the highway.

Birmingham Police Department said it was “working relentlessly to control traffic” around the testing site.

That caused issues for people attempting to also get to Grandview Medical Center for other situations, including emergency personnel.

Because of the high demand, the CDC and Alabama Department of Public Health are asking that you only show up if you are truly experiencing symptoms of the disease, which tend to be fever, cough and sometimes shortness of breath, or if you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 or out of the country.

It’s also safe to call ahead to any site you may get testing at, especially if it is somewhere other than a drive-thru testing site.

The Grandview campus of Church of the Highlands will open back up on Wednesday, March 18, and they are expected to try and continue improving the number of people that can be tested.

For information on testing you can call the Alabama COVID-19 24/7 hotline at 1-888-264-2256.