Just as access to COVID-19 tests was ramping up in many areas across the country, some testing sites have been forced to suspend operations because of violence and protests in recent days.

County Department of Health Services, said in a statement on the department's website, which lists testing locations that were closed or had limited hours Tuesday.

The head of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency ordered the state's community-based testing sites to close for 24 hours "out of an abundance of caution to protect the staff and those utilizing the services," according to a statement from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

"We are aware that some COVID-19 testing locations may be temporarily closed due to the situation affecting our country," Pennsylvania's secretary of health, Dr.

Minneapolis, where George Floyd died in police custody last week, sparking the nationwide protests, remains a "hotspot for COVID-19 spread," said Jan Malcolm, Minnesota's health commissioner, in a statement

"We need the help of everyone involved to prevent additional suffering and preventable death by following the public health guidelines to limit COVID-19 spread," Malcolm added