Hand washing is one of the most important things people can do to protect themselves during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and one local business that sells soap products is participating in a unique donation to get that message across.
The Georgetown-based company Soapbox donated 12,000 bars of soap to a pair of coronavirus testing sites in D.C. Free soap will be handed to those who get tested.
“While supplies last, soap will be given after you complete the test,” said Soapbox CEO David Simnick.
The soap is being offered from Friday through Sunday at testing sites at Sojourner Truth Public Charter School and The Temple of Praise.
Sojourner Truth is in Northeast D.C., by the intersection of Perry Street and South Dakota Avenue, and The Temple of Praise is along Southern Avenue in Southeast D.C. by Owens Road.
Walkups are welcome, or an appointment can be booked ahead of time. The tests are free and being hosted by Curative Labs.
“We are really exited to be partnering with them through offering free soap as a way to allow more people to protect themselves and their families,” Simnick said.
On Thursday, the CDC pleaded with Americans to protect their families by not traveling for Thanksgiving and not spending the holiday with people from outside their household.
The warning from the CDC was some of the firmest guidance yet from the U.S. government on curtailing traditional gatherings to fight the pandemic.
The CDC issued the recommendations just one week before Thanksgiving, at a time when diagnosed infections, hospitalizations and deaths are skyrocketing across the U.S. In many areas, the health care system is being squeezed by a combination of sick patients filling up beds and medical workers falling ill themselves.
The CDC’s Dr. Erin Sauber-Schatz cited more than 1 million new cases in the U.S. over the past week as the reason for the new guidance. “The safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving this year is at home with the people in your household,” she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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