May 26 (EIRNS)—The city of Los Angeles opened its largest coronavirus testing site Tuesday at Dodger Stadium, where up to 6,000 people can be tested daily free of charge.
Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a news conference that “this builds on our work weve been doing [over the] past weeks and months. We want testing to be easy, accessible and free for everybody here in Los Angeles,”the Los Angeles Times reported him as saying. “As we go further, (testing) will help us see those people without symptoms and help us get back to work safely.”
The drive-through facility will have big screens showing videos demonstrating how to administer a self-test to help prepare those waiting in line.
The city is partnering with the Los Angeles Fire Department and the non-profit Community Organized Relief Effort which will oversee operations and have 60 staffers helping.
About two months ago, Dodger’s Chief Executive Stan Kasten said 40,000 people had been tested at a site already operating at the stadium. With this new undertaking, Kasten said, more people can be tested in one week than in the 10 previous weeks combined. “This is how we come back. This is how we get back to normal,” he said.
Mayor Garcetti reports that Los Angeles has tested 450,000 people across more than 10 testing sites, and more than half have already received their results. He said people can also expect a quicker turnaround time now, with results in 30 hours or so rather than days. On May 25, Los Angeles County reported 1,047 new COVID-19 cases and 12 more deaths bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 46,018 and fatalities to 2,116.[BL_]
The Medical Project 