Chambana Sun

A Leroy-based physician has filed a lawsuit against Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Administrator Julie Pryde, claiming she is blocking his efforts to offer to test the public for COVID-19.

Dr. Tom Pliura e-filed the lawsuit on March 30 at the federal district courthouse in Urbana, and seeks to block Pryde and the public health agency from interfering with Pliura’s efforts to provide drive-thru testing for the coronavirus.

“You can’t stop someone from doing something that’s legal,” Pliura said in a News-Gazette report.

Pliura said he at first tried to set up a drive-thru testing location outside his clinic at the CampusTown Urgent Care, but road construction nearby forced him to consider other more accessible locations. He made arrangements to place a drive-thru testing clinic in a parking lot at the University of Illinois State Farm Center, but their authorization was withdrawn.

Days later, Pliura said he contacted representatives at the First Christian Church in Champaign, but his request was again denied.

Pliura said the requests at both locations were denied after representatives from both entities allegedly spoke with Pryde and members of her staff. In his lawsuit, Pliura claims Pryde told him she opposed his efforts of setting the drive-thru location outside his clinic when he spoke with her over the phone.

Among Pryde’s concerns were allegations that Pliura planned to offer coronavirus testing to the public, regardless of whether they were exhibiting symptoms. She claimed that doesn’t fall within the testing guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC classifies patients who are not showing symptoms of COVID-19 as low priority, and not eligible for testing, while anyone who shows symptoms of the disease as top priority.

Pryde said previously that other medical facilities in the region were testing within the CDC guidelines, according to a News-Gazette report.

Pryde, who has not publicly commented on the lawsuit, is directing all inquiries to her attorney.