Two coronavirus testing sites open in Illinois Walmart parking lots

(Reuters) – Walmart Inc said on Sunday that federal drive-thru coronavirus testing sites have been set up in parking lots of its stores in Northlake and Joliet, Illinois to test first responders and healthcare workers who may have been exposed to the contagion.

A maximum of 150 tests per day are being administered at the pilot sites, the big-box retailer said, adding that they will not be able to conduct tests for the general public there at this time.

The sites are being staffed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and pharmacists, including from Walmart, the company said.

Walmart had said on Thursday it would hire more than 150,000 hourly workers in the United States, citing a jump in people stocking up on food and other necessities as they prepare to shelter at home to help protect themselves and others while the coronavirus pandemic spreads.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Bill Berkrot)