I had my first COVID-19 test on Sunday morning. After staying home for the past six months, my husband and I are taking a little vacation to Maine this week, and we both needed tests before traveling. I scheduled it online – easy – for 9:00 in the morning on a Sunday. I thought we might be the only ones there. Nope.
By registering online, I’d already provided our names, birthdates, address, telephone number, health provider information. We showed up at 9:00 on Sunday and found at least ten cars ahead of us in line. This was in Providence, at the designated facility in the Convention Center garage. Windows up. Camouflage-wearing National Guards patrolling. We inched along. I looked to my right and noticed another line of cars, but they seemed to be moving. I realized that the National Guard volunteers (thank you) were working the two lines, only the line to my right was being run very efficiently – a volunteer was walking up and down the line, taking pertinent information, and slipping a test kit under the driver’s windshield wiper. Our line didn’t have anyone walking up and down the line, so nothing happened until we reached the head of the line.
With the windows up (“Windows Must Stay Closed!” “No Cellphones! No Cameras!” – would someone actually take a selfie at a COVID test? Of course they would), my husband pressed his license to the window, while a guard wrote down by hand all of his information – the same information I’d provided online. Why couldn’t he just scan the license, I thought. Then it was the same for my license. Meanwhile, the cars to my right were moving forward. We waited for our test kits to be stuck under the wipers, then we inched ahead. The test itself took seconds. Yes, I was nervous – all I’d heard was that a Q-tip was pushed up your nostril until it reached your brain. So, that wasn’t the case, and it only took seconds. And that was it. We had instructions for how to find our results online (we’re both negative). All in all, it took one hour from the time we arrived – on a Sunday morning, six months into the pandemic.
So this morning I voted in the primary. My little town didn’t have much of a primary – my representative in the US House of Representatives, Jim Langevin, had an unknown challenger, and there were two men vying for an empty state senate seat. So, two races. But it was right up the street and my husband and I always vote, so off we went. No lines. We were all masked up, as it’s the norm these days, and I walked up to the desk. A Plexiglas panel was between the volunteer worker and me. I took out my license and boom! “Just set it right there, dear. That’s right. I’ll scan it.” See? That was easy. She handed me a pen, that I was to keep (no more sharing pens, right?) and I made my little circles on the ballot, then I fed it into the machine. I was #34 at 9:30 this morning. I’m sure November will be a lot busier.
Perhaps the National Guard couldn’t scan our licenses because we had to keep our windows up? I don’t know, it was just ten times easier to vote today than it was to get a COVID test on Sunday. But the test results are good, and I hope the primary results are as well.
Martha Reynolds Writes 
Nice blog
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Hi Martha,
So happy your tests were negative, and you’re coming to Maine! Will this be your first time in Maine? Enjoy our beautiful state.
Terry
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No, Terry, we’ve been many times! This time a week in Kennebunk. ‘The Way Life Should Be’! 🦞
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I was hoping you were coming a little farther up the coast. I haven’t been to that end of Maine since my trip to Switzerland last summer. Stay safe!
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Very interesting. I wonder if CA has tests yet. I’d get one. Glad it all worked out!
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Thanks, Martha! If we go to the test site, I’ll try to get in that right hand line! 🙂
I’m glad your results were negative, and I hope you have a lovely trip to Maine. We could all use a vacation these days.
We used mail ballots, to avoid crowds and lines, but I dropped them off in the ballot box at the Town Hall, since we can’t trust the mail these days.
Strange times……
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Deb, that was our dilemma re voting, too. We ended up going in person and no one else was there. I’m sure November will be different.
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We had a test done in June at CVS. No line, it took seconds. (We tested negative).
Happy to hear you and your husband are having a little break.
We voted by mail for the Presidential Preference and state primary but are voting early in person for the general election. I don’t trust the administration/post office these days. Not taking any chances.
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I wanted to use CVS, Connie, but it wasn’t available to us – maybe because we’re traveling?
I don’t trust trump’s post office, either. Just sent a birthday card to a friend in NYC whose birthday is a week from today.
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That’s so strange. We had no problem getting an appointment in June. I wonder if they are booked because of the imminent opening of schools.
It took NINE DAYS for my contract with Stillwater to arrive from North Providence to Pawtucket. In normal times it would be one day. Extremely worrisome.
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Glad you got a negative result. I always vote absentee. And now everyone in the state of Michigan can do so for no reason. Have a fun trip.
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Thanks, Denise.
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In June- I really loved getting out of North Carolina. My family went on vacation to Florida- which is a 2nd home to me
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I bet that was nice!
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Yes, it was.
I live in Charlotte- so getting out of Charlotte is nice. I hope to eventually go back to Asheville- love the artsy nature of that city. So ready for this pandemic to be over: it got in the way of a lot of things
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