Drive-thru coronavirus testing centers are popping up in Michigan as hospitals aim to keep those afflicted with the virus from entering the ER and exposing other sick patients and medical staff to the infectious disease that has changed modern life as we know it.

Schools and universities shut down. Sporting events canceled. Disney World closed.

But the hospitals are open — and they're taking some unique measures to keep everyone inside safe.

Drive-thru and curbside testing sites surfaced at hospitals over the weekend, including at Beaumont hospitals in Royal Oak, Dearborn, Farmington Hills and Troy. Hospitals are seeking to help those who fear they may have the virus, test them if they show signs of illness, and keep them out of hospitals where they could make matters worse.

"Unless you’re seriously ill, you shouldn’t be in a hospital," said Dr. James Larkin, director of emergency medicine at McLaren Macomb, which set up an outdoor coronavirus screening tent on Saturday in Mount Clemens.

However, the drive-thru testing unit for COVID-19 is only for people who have shown some type of symptoms, Larkin stressed.

The Mount Clemens COVID-19 drive-thru is under a canopy outside the McLaren Macomb emergency room, where patients can stay in their cars and get treated through the window by staff in protective gear. Vitals are taken first and a series of questions are asked before doctors determine whether a nasal swab should be given, or whether to have the person be admitted to the ER. It is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

If a nasal swab is taken, typical turnaround from the state lab is about 1-3 days.

"We are providing the same screening, only in an ambulatory setting so that we don’t have patients come back and expose other patients and staff," Larkin said. "We’re trying to isolate people who may have the virus from our general population so they don’t spread it."

Larkin stressed that it's crucial for people with minor symptoms to stay home.

"If you have a 103 fever and you're coughing and you don’t feel well, coming to the emergency isn’t going to do anything," Larkin said. "Stay home and self-isolate. We don't really need to see those people."

Larkin noted that only critically ill people with severe breathing problems, such as their lungs are shutting down, can be helped in a hospital, where they can be put on supplemental oxygen or a breathing machine while they fight the virus. But only those very severe cases can be helped in a hospital setting.

"There is no treatment for this virus, there is nothing you can do," Larkin said. "People come and think they can do something. The reality is — we can’t. ... Stay at home, take Motrin. Tylenol. Get fluids and rest and try not to expose other people."

To date, COVID-19 has afflicted more than 156,000 people worldwide. More than 5,800 have died; another 72,600 have recovered.

Beaumont hospitals in Royal Oak, Dearborn, Farmington Hills, Troy are also offering limited curbside screening and evaluation for COVID-19. The screening is only for patients who have symptoms consistent with COVID-19, such as fever, cough, shortness of breath.

If Beaumont medical staff determine a patient needs to be tested, a specimen will be collected and sent to a lab for testing. The hospital system urges the public to call ahead to Beaumont’s COVID-19 hotline, or their doctor's office, before attempting to get screened.

“We are offering this limited screening option to help reduce the spread of the virus," said Dr. Nick Gilpin, Beaumont Health’s medical director of Infection Prevention and Epidemiology.

Gilpin offered the following recommendations for people who develop COVID-19:

Stay home

Drink lots of fluids

Get plenty of rest and take over-the-counter medications, such as pain relievers.

Talk to your provider before seeking treatment at a hospital or other health care facility.

Older adults with underlying health concerns or those with a compromised immune system who suspect they might be experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should contact their physician.

Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids also opened a drive-up coronavirus testing center on Saturday —but it's by appointment only and you need a doctor's order to be tested.

"This site is for patients with appointments only. It is not a drive-up site for screening, testing or on-demand specimen collection," Spectrum Health said in a statement Saturday.

Patients who have been pre-approved for the screening can drive up, stay in their car and professionals wearing protective gear will administer the test while they stay in their vehicles.

The Western Michigan hospital system stressed that testing center will collect specimens "only from individuals who have a physician’s order."

"During this public health incident, our chief concern is to make sure we are taking care of the community and preventing the spread of COVID-19," Spectrum Health states, adding the drive-up's goal is to enable "fast, efficient and safe collection for testing at the state lab."

The Henry Ford Health system said on Saturday that it, too, has tents set up at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital in Wyandotte and Henry Ford Allegiance in Jackson for triaging for potential patient overflow. Henry Ford Macomb and Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital are expected to get tents in the next few days.

Related:

Michigan now reports 25 cases of coronavirus

I celebrated my birthday in self-quarantine. Here's what made it so memorable.

As of Saturday afternoon, at least 2,345 people in 49 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico have tested positive for novel coronavirus in the United States, according to a New York Times database, and at least 50 patients with the virus have died. The outbreak is now a pandemic, with 156,095 cases confirmed worldwide and 5,819 deaths and 72,619 recoveries, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Meanwhile, the hospitals are aggressively working to prevent the spread of the virus, give people peace of mind, or medical help if they need it, and keep those on the front lines safe so they can help sick people.

The drive-thru tents surfaced less than 24 hours after Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer banned all visitations to hospitals, nursing homes and health care facilities, except for "exigent circumstances," such as grave illness or imminent death of a family member.

"We are working aggressively to implement the Governor’s visitor restriction measures, beginning with our highest risk areas — those being our acute care hospitals," Henry Ford Health Systems said in a statement. "We remain committed to taking the right steps to protect our patients, employees and our communities and reduce the spread of this disease."