Impact of Trump's diagnosis on suburban test site turnout so far uncertain
Staff members of COVID-19 test sites in Arlington Heights and Wheaton had differing opinions as to whether the news of President Donald Trump's diagnosis may have had an impact on Friday's turnout.
But several people the Daily Herald spoke to directly at the site outside Arlington Park Racecourse cited other reasons for being in line.
"It's certainly busier than it was yesterday," said Aris Garcia of Streamwood, site manager of the Arlington Heights community-based test site at the racetrack.
Though the length of the midmorning lines wasn't enough to conclude anything about the reasons for it, Garcia said the site's greeter had heard some people say the news about Trump had inspired their visit.
"She told me that a couple of people told her they came after hearing about the president," Garcia said. "It definitely seemed to have had some kind of effect."
On the other hand, staff at the test site at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton reported no unusually long lines or any other observations that made Friday distinct, said Stephanie Calvillo, health promotion specialist for the DuPage County Health Department.
However, as the line in Arlington Heights grew to about a 90- to 100-minute wait, site greeter Joy Klancic of Chicago agreed it was longer than the day before but not necessarily longer than it had been during the week before. But one woman had made a particular point of telling her she'd come after hearing of Trump's testing positive.
Seven people who agreed to go on the record with the Daily Herald all stated other reasons for seeking a test - including coming home from or preparing for out-of-state trips, experiencing some symptoms, encouragement from a spouse, and fulfilling a regular requirement for a job with a hospice care provider.
There was a unanimous lack of surprise at the president's diagnosis, but respondents' reasons for that ranged from seeing it as a consequence of a careless attitude toward the disease to considering it inevitable for someone whose job requires so much travel and meeting with others.
"He can't control the people around him," Gary Melavic of Lake Zurich said.
Grace Furlan of Mundelein saw it as failure to respect preventive measures.
"I wasn't too surprised," she said. "If you're not wearing your mask, that can happen."
"I totally expected something radical would happen to him," said Jay Odice of Cary.
James Garthwait of Palatine said the threat of COVID-19 has been overhyped and that a person in good health shouldn't be seriously endangered.