March 19 (Reuters) - CVS Health Corp said on Thursday it is opening a COVID-19 testing site for a limited population in the parking lot of a CVS Pharmacy in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.

Drive-thru coronavirus testing sites are popping up across the country, with the goal to ramp up testing and reduce pressure on emergency rooms and keep patients in cars to avoid spreading the infection.

CVS and other U.S. retailers such as Walmart Inc, Target Corp and Walgreens Boots Alliance pledged at a White House news conference last Friday to provide space for the drive-thru sites in their parking lots. (Reporting by Manojna Maddipatla in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)