As local, state, and national government urges Americans to social distance and self-quarantine if ill, Houstonians are feeling the malaise of fear grip them as coronavirus testing questions still go unanswered.

Starting on Thursday, March 19, locals will have some respite, as Houston Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, chair of the Congressional Coronavirus Task Force, announced that free testing is available here.

The free testing will be held at United Memorial Medical Center, located at 510 West Tidwell Rd.. Those suffering from potential coronavirus/COVID -19 symptoms can visit the center at these dates and times:

• Thursday, March 19: 10 am - 8 pm
• Friday, March 20: 8am -6 pm
• Monday, March 23 through Friday, March 27: 8 am - 8 pm

This comes as President Trump signed a Congressional bill on Wednesday, March 18, which allows people with symptoms of the coronavirus to be tested for free.

The Center for Disease Control says that reported illnesses have ranged from mild symptoms to severe illness and death for confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases. Symptoms may appear two to 14 days after exposure and include:

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath

The documented number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. now tops 9,500; experts are calling it exponential growth. Meanwhile, Houston has seen a spike in cases: As of Wednesday, March 18, some 19 new cases of coronavirus were announced by local and county officials, bringing the total number of cases to 62. That marks the highest spark of reported cases thus far.

Additionally, Legacy Community Health has opened satellite clinics, currently adjacent to Legacy’s four largest clinics, to test for coronavirus. Here are the Houston locations:

• Legacy Fifth Ward, 3811 Lyons Ave.
• Legacy Montrose, 1415 California St.
• Legacy Southwest, 6441 High Star Dr.

Potential visitors are asked to visit the Legacy website or call (832) 548-5226 before heading to the centers.

CultureMap will update this story.