As the coronavirus becomes more widespread, people who develop symptoms that might be consistent with coronavirus want to know if they should be tested. State Senators Rusty Crowe (R-Johnson City) and Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol) have provided citizens with guidelines to determine if they should be tested.

“As Chairman of our Tennessee Senate Health Committee, I want to make sure you know what to do if you feel you need to be tested for the coronavirus,” said Crowe in a video. “The coronavirus is what is called a novel virus with a great potential to spread, and there is no known pharmaceutical intervention available yet. In other words, there is no vaccine.”

“The only thing we can do at this point is to slow it down by staying away from crowds, using good common sense, washing your hands like mama showed you how to do and stay at home if you don’t feel well,” Crowe continued.

Senator Lundberg said citizens should know how to contact professionals with questions about coronavirus testing.

“If you do think you need to be tested, you can call 1-833-8-Ballad and a nurse will walk you through an assessment of your symptoms to see if you need to be tested,” said Lundberg. “Don’t hesitate to call the hotline to have a nurse help you decide if you need to be tested or not.”

The Senators concluded by thanking citizens for all they are doing to keep us safe and encouraged everyone to stay healthy.