City of Los Angeles issued the following announcement on Dec 28.
Mayor Eric Garcetti announced today that L.A. will be the first big city in America to offer wide-scale, free COVID-19 testing to all residents, whether or not they are experiencing symptoms of the virus. The testing will be open to any resident of Los Angeles County, with tests administered at eight locations inside the City of Los Angeles.
“So long as COVID-19 spreads, we have to scale up our response — and because this disease can be a silent killer, we have carefully built the capacity to get more people tested,” said Mayor Garcetti. “No one should have to wait, wonder, or risk infecting others. Don’t leave it to chance. Schedule a test.”
The online portal where testing appointments are made now enables any resident of Los Angeles County to schedule a test, regardless of whether they are showing symptoms of COVID-19. Priority for the same or next-day testing is still given to people with symptoms, such as fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Testing is also prioritized for medical professionals and certain other critical front-line workers who interact with the public as part of their job duties.
The testing program — which began with one Los Angeles Fire Department-staffed location, and has grown to eight sites within the City and 34 across the region — has grown dramatically in just over one month. Thanks to partnerships with Los Angeles County and the nonprofit emergency response organization CORE, the program has already completed about 140,000 tests since March 20.
If you would like to schedule an appointment for testing, please visit coronavirus.lacity.org/testing.
Mayor Garcetti has taken several emergency actions in the fight against the spread of COVID-19, including a “Safer at Home” emergency order requiring City of Los Angeles residents to remain in their homes except for the most essential activities — including critical tasks such as securing food and health, safety and medical necessities, as well as caring for children, elder adults, family, friends and people with disabilities; an order that workers providing non-medical essential services — and their customers — must wear face coverings while in those work locations; a plan to shelter thousands of Angelenos experiencing homelessness; restrictions placed on bars, nightclubs, restaurants, movie theaters, entertainment venues, bowling alleys and arcades, gyms and fitness centers, and Recreation and Parks facilities across L.A.; and limits on public gatherings in City facilities.
More details and answers to frequently asked questions can be found at coronavirus.lacity.org
Original source can be found here.
Source: City of Los Angeles
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