Rapid Testing Needed To Ease Restrictions

Alabama is scheduled to re-open May 1st, but unless testing can rapidly increase, that may not be doable.

We're about to learn more about plans to resume life normally or what a new normal could look like from president trump.

Alabama is scheduled to re-open may first.

But that may not be the best idea.

Waay 31's sydney martin is live outside huntsville hopsital.

The ceo told her rapid testing is key to easing restrictions.

Huntsville hospital ceo david spillers told me today once rapid testing is developed it will help slow the spread of covid-19 even more because instead of possibly waiting days to find out if you have coronavirus it could take minutes to get results.

Spillers said social distancing has helped keep coronavirus numbers down but we are only one mass event from that changing.

It's why rapid testing is so important.

It would cut test times down to about 15 minutes... similar to a flu test.

Rapid testing would help identify cases before symptoms appear and cut down on the spread of coronavirus.

Medical experts say it's what's needed before life can return to some semblance of normal.

David spillers ""if someone's g the disease and we can get the quarantined and we can get them away from others, it would be extremely beneficial to us managing this until we have a vaccine."

Another test is an antibody test-- which would be able to identify someone's immunity to coronavirus.

Spillers said the tests are probably at least 30 days away from being available but they're something being worked on right now by many..

This afternoon- it's unclear what governor kay ivey's plan will be to re-open alabama at the end of the stay at home order and spillers said while being able to perform a rapid test on people when we reopen would be ideal in the perfect world it's probably not possible by may 1 live in huntsville sm waay 31 news.