---
id: "coronavirus-smarter-crowdsourcing:strategies/Rapidly-conduct-snapshot-pooled-testing-among-staf"
type: "GovLab policy strategy"
title: "Rapidly conduct snapshot pooled testing among staff and residents in health and long-term care…"
url: "https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/strategies/rapidly-conduct-snapshot-pooled-testing-among-staf"
summary: "Rapidly conduct snapshot pooled testing among staff and residents in health and long-term care facilities,prisons,and other congregate housing facilities. Governments should conduct snapshot pooled testing to provide a baseline that will help establish subsequent testing strategies within these settings,including the frequency of testing."
source: "The GovLab (coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org)"
licence: "Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)"
---

# Rapidly conduct snapshot pooled testing among staff and residents in health and long-term care…

Rapidly conduct snapshot pooled testing among staff and residents in health and long-term care facilities,prisons,and other congregate housing facilities. Governments should conduct snapshot pooled testing to provide a baseline that will help establish subsequent testing strategies within these settings,including the frequency of testing.

- Timeframe: 1-3 Months (immediate)
- Audience: Vulnerable Populations, Healthcare Providers, Organized Civil Society
- Type: Policy/Legislative/Regulatory, Partnerships, Vulnerable Populations, Procurement/Logistics
- Recommendation: [High-risk populations](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/recommendations/high-risk-populations)
- Part of: [Smarter Crowdsourcing in the Age of Coronavirus](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/)

## Actions governments should take

1. Identify partners with the capacity of conducting pooled tests
2. [Develop a strategy for identifying an appropriate pool size in collaboration with the testing partner (see above section on pooled testing)](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zKEiumAM1lKJBdijORviBacpkbE9Z63V5tHWq2f4nms/edit#heading=h.eknnyhp8ymh0)
3. Develop a plan for what will happen to staff who test positive

## Examples from around the world

1. [Seattle](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/us/coronavirus-testing-drive-through-seattle.html), [Chicago](https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/cdph/provdrs/health_protection_and_response/news/2020/june/mayor-lori-lightfoot-announces-covid-19-mobile-testing-pilot-pro.html), the state of [Wisconsin](https://www.wisbusiness.com/2020/wisconsin-national-guard-conducting-mobile-testing-at-sites-around-the-state/), and other local and state governments have set up mobile testing centers to safely collect samples from healthcare workers and other high-risk or vulnerable populations.