People waiting hours in COVID-19 testing lines

DRAPER, Utah — There were longer than usual wait times for COVID-19 testing in Draper Tuesday morning.

People who come to the busy testing location near the Draper Library expect to wait three to four hours, but Tuesday morning, workers told them the wait would be extended and they should go to the testing site near Herriman City Hall.

Nomi Health spokesperson Jenny Olson said the testing site couldn’t open because their generator broke down overnight.

Generator problems lead to delays at Draper COVID testing site; other sites see massive lines

The first handful of cars lined up at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday.

One lady said she got there at 5:58 a.m. and was sixth in line.

By opening time at 7 a.m., dozens of cars lined Pioneer Road. People waited for the all-clear to pull forward, only to be re-routed. Olson said the generator inside the shipping container where tests are stored broke down and they couldn’t open.

The next best location to test was at Herriman City Hall.

“We’d have to wait three hours if we went over there,” Maquel Andersen said.

Andersen and her daughter decided to ride it out, and they weren’t alone.

“There’s nothing we can do. We have to wait. We have to get the surgery done today.”

Nomi Health sent additional test kits to the Draper site, and three and a half hours later, they allowed people to drive through and get tested.

Lt. Pat Evans with the Draper Police Department says traffic has been impacted for about a half a mile – including near a school zone.

“The length of the line, I would guess hundreds of cars per day,” Evans said.

He said the city has asked Salt Lake County to relocate this testing site because of all the traffic issues.

Their last day of operation is on Wednesday.

“We really, we just want to keep everyone safe,” Evans said.

This location averages about 1,100 tests a day and it’s non-stop by the time they open at 7 a.m. until they close at 7 p.m.

We have not been given information about the new location yet.