State Fairgrounds testing site closes; Pueblo Mall site to remain open through July

The state of Colorado is closing underutilized COVID-19 community testing sites across the state, and only one remains in Pueblo as of Friday.

The testing site outside of the Colorado State Fairgrounds at the corner of Acero and Mesa avenues administered its last tests Thursday, but the site near the Pueblo Mall will remain open, at least through July, though it will be closed July 4, according to the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment.

The remaining site at the Pueblo Mall and 20 others across the state will have a total capacity of 8,000 tests a day, with the ability to scale up to roughly 17,000 tests per day in a surge state, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

The move to close sites statewide is part of Colorado's gradual transition to shift COVID-19 testing to traditional health care settings and through federal programs, including the Test to Treat program and the free, at-home rapid tests available through COVIDTests.gov.

CPDHE also announced Friday the state has added more than 150 pharmacy testing locations to its testing services locator map, where Coloradans can find COVID-19 testing sites throughout the state.

The Pueblo Mall testing site is open Mondays through Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

More: COVID-19 vaccinations for youngest children available in Pueblo

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo COVID testing site at State Fairgrounds closes; mall site open