On Aug. 5, nine Walmart locations across the state began offering drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites, including the Whitehall Walmart at 2601 MacArthur Road, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

The new Whitehall testing site will be open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and can test up to 50 patients. Registration is required one day in advance. Testing will take place in the pharmacy drive-thru area. There will be no testing in the store.

People who get tested are required to self-isolate at home while waiting for the results. Results will be sent via email, and the average turnaround time is seven or more days.

Any patient with a positive test result will receive a phone call from a physician.

The DOH partnered with Quest Diagnostics to process the tests at no cost to residents. To register, patients must create an account on the Quest Diagnostic patient portal and fill out an eligibility survey to determine if they fit the criteria to be tested.

Patients will then be directed to a testing location within a 50-mile radius with available appointment times. They must then schedule an appointment.

Once scheduled, the patient must print out a voucher and bring it with them.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Whitehall Walmart has increased its efforts to maintain the health and safety of its staff and customers, including the addition of a clean team to ensure high-touch areas are sanitized regularly, curbside pickup options, express delivery and more.

Walmart hired additional workers who were laid off from their normal jobs to help meet the demands of running the business during the pandemic and to help fight unemployment.

Additionally, Walmart granted funds to Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce to help support businesses shut down during the pandemic. It was reported the local Walmart stores and clubs gave $20,000 back to the community to help business owners.

The Whitehall store also made several donations to Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative to provide toilet paper, food and water to families in need, as well as donations of chalk to Catasauqua Police Department’s Chalk Your Walk campaign to raise children’s spirits during the shutdown. More than 150 Easter baskets were donated during the holiday to ensure families could celebrate, even if they were laid off from work.

It was reported the Whitehall location tries to hold regular activities and bring in caterers to provide safe, single-serve meals to the employees.

Walmart also partnered with The Salvation Army for the nationwide Stuff the Bus event. In addition to the Whitehall location, the Walmart at 1091 Mill Creek Road, Allentown, helped collect school supplies Aug. 7-9.

Community members were asked to donate school supplies such as pens, notebooks, backpacks, planners, calculators and more to students in need. The goal was to provide supplies to 1,000 children. It was reported many families were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and are in need of assistance.

Walmart and The Salvation Army have collaborated for more than 30 years with a common mission: to meet needs in their local communities.