Andrea Johnson/MDN A long row of cars stretched across the North Dakota State Fairgrounds on Wednesday as people waited to take part in a mass testing event for the coronavirus. Members of the National Guard were on hand to assist medical personnel to gather information from the people who were being tested.

Hundreds of people lined the North Dakota State Fairgrounds on Wednesday morning waiting to be tested for the new coronavirus.

The “mass testing, drive-through event” started at noon and by 12:30 p.m about a hundred people had been tested, a young member of the National Guard estimated.

Members of the National Guard helped gather information from people who were about to be tested and then people rolled down their windows and medical personnel reached into the car and swabbed the backs of their throats with a long swab. The test is easy and painless, though a nurse warned it might make some people gag. The tests were then labeled with the test subject’s name, date of birth and phone number, and stowed to be sent away for testing. Test subjects can expect a phone call with the results of the testing.

According to information provided by the First District Health Unit, about 800 tests were provided for the event, which was free and open to any member of the public.

The First District Health Unit urged essential workers such as gas station or grocery store workers to come and get tested. People could be tested even if they didn’t have any symptoms of the coronavirus. They also aren’t required to go into quarantine while they wait for their test results. People could get tested and then go on about their day.

Gov. Doug Burgum has said that the state must ramp up testing for the coronavirus as part of its strategy to restart the economy. Most restrictions have been lifted for businesses and other institutions, but health department guidelines regarding hygiene and social distancing measures are still in place.

The goal of events like the drive-through testing at the Fairgrounds is to identify people who have the coronavirus, about 30 percent of whom may have no symptoms at all of the disease, and any people with whom they have come into contact. Those people can then be quarantined to help slow the spread of the disease, for which there is still no vaccine or cure.

Other mass-testing drive through events have been held in other cities in the state.

As of Wednesday, there were 2,679 positive cases identified in North Dakota, of whom 2,169 people have recovered and 66 people have died. Thirty-four people are currently hospitalized with the disease. There have been 39 cases in Ward County, with 30 people recovered and one death.