Coronavirus drive-through testing in Lake Elsinore will continue and expand

A drive-through novel coronavirus testing program at Lake Elsinore’s Diamond Stadium will continue and expand, with an online scheduling site added Sunday and the testing available for Southern California residents who live within a 50-mile radius of the City of Riverside, officials said.

The Diamond Stadium site has been designated as a Community-Based Testing Site, directed by the State of California and receiving federal support. There was testing there Saturday and Sunday, and the program had tentatively been scheduled to end Sunday, but was extended along with the announcement of online scheduling.

There were 211 tests administered Saturday and slightly more on Sunday, said Jose Arballo Jr., a Riverside County public health spokesman.

The 50 mile radius from Riverside reaches into Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties and near Fallbrook in northern San Diego County.

“We are excited about this expansion of testing capacity because it allows us to ramp up our responsiveness to our communities,”  Riverside University Health System – Public Health Director Kim Saruwatari said in a statement. The Lake Elsinore site also will have additional test kits and equipment from the expansion.

Candidates for the test must be screened as high-risk, and the Lake Elsinore site is not available to take walk-ins, Riverside County officials said.

A toll-free number, 800-945-6171, remained in service Sunday, but officials said callers will soon be directed to the website to make appointments. The website address is projectbaseline.com/covid-19

The same toll-free number will remain in operation for making an appointment at a testing site at Indian Wells in the Coachella Valley, officials said.

from News: Redlands Daily Facts https://ift.tt/39anwSG