Mayor Garcetti today announced extended testing hours at Dodger Stadium, keeping the site open from 8am until 8pm and increasing the City's total testing capacity to 32,400 per day ahead of the holiday and flu seasons. This step comes as the City crosses the sobering milestone of two million COVID-19 tests conducted by the City since the onset of the pandemic –– and as the country has experienced a steady and record-breaking rise in case numbers in recent weeks.
"Our City will keep ramping up our testing efforts, because we know that testing saves lives –– but we need all Angelenos to continue doing their part to defeat this virus by wearing masks, avoiding gatherings, and keeping their distance," said Mayor Garcetti. "COVID-19 is still here and still deadly, and with partners like the Dodgers, LAFD, CORE, and Curative, we will stay vigilant in the face of this pandemic and take every possible step to protect public health across Los Angeles."
As COVID-19 cases increase locally and nationwide, the City is seeing a spike in demand for testing. Starting this week, Dodger Stadium, the largest testing site in the nation, will be able to test up to 13,000 people each day. All other sites will expand hours of operation from 8am to 4pm –– two hours longer than before. Testing at City sites is free-of-charge, and results are provided in as few as 24 hours. For more information or to book an appointment, visit coronavirus.lacity.org/testing or call 311.
"As we watch the number of new cases spike to record levels, adding testing capacity is imperative to help curb the devastation of COVID-19, especially in marginalized communities," said CORE co-founder and CEO Ann Lee. "We applaud our proud partners at the City of L.A. and in Mayor Garcetti's office for meeting the moment and expanding hours at our Dodger Stadium testing site to help protect the L.A. community as another wave of this deadly virus sweeps across the nation."
To expand outreach and raise awareness across Los Angeles, the City will send a Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) to all residents this week, urging anyone with symptoms or potential exposure to get tested. NotifyLA will follow up with text messages about testing resources targeted to Angelenos in communities experiencing the highest increases in infections. Those who wish to receive NotifyLA text updates or learn about testing resources in your neighborhood should register at emergency.lacity.org/notifyla.
With flu season fast approaching, the City continues to offer free flu shots at mobile clinics across L.A. In partnership with the University of Southern California (USC) and Curative, three mobile vaccination teams are deployed twelve times a week, with a fourth team set to come online soon. Since launching this effort in October, 2,200 people have received a free flu vaccination. More information about this initiative can be found at coronavirus.lacity.org/flushot.
