A mass COVID-19 testing event at the Berglund Center led to major backups in Roanoke Wednesday.

BLACKSBURG, Va – Concerns over new COVID-19 variants have Virginia Tech stepping up testing and asking the campus to prevent community spread. Just over a month into the spring semester, Virginia Tech President, Tim Sands, is calling on his students and staff to stop the spread of COVID-19. “As of right now, the numbers at Virginia Tech are not trending in a good way, they are going up,” university spokesperson Mark Owczarski said. The announcement comes just one day after the University of Virginia started implementing strict guidelines banning all in-person events. AdAccording to New River Health Director Noelle Bissell, most of the New River Valley’s COVID-19 testing goes to the Fralin Biomedical Institute.