Mayor Garcetti encourages vulnerable communities to get tested for COVID-19

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LOS ANGELES — Mayor Garcetti today encouraged more residents in communities of color to get tested for COVID-19 and talked about free testing available to vulnerable Angelenos. The Mayor was joined by Councilmember Curren Price and actor and activist Anthony Anderson at the Kedren Community Clinic in South Los Angeles.

“Testing saves lives, and we have to deliver more testing to the people hardest-hit by COVID-19: communities of color and vulnerable Angelenos,” said Mayor Garcetti. “We can only defeat this virus if everyone does their part and if we tackle the deep racial inequities baked into our health system. We have tests prioritized for you if you have symptoms or think you have been exposed, and we need everyone to wear a face covering, stay home when you can, and avoid gatherings with anyone outside your home.” 

With recent Los Angeles County public health data showing that Black and Latino Angelenos are twice as likely to die from COVID-19 compared to white Angelenos, Mayor Garcetti, Councilmember Price, Anthony Anderson, and other key public sector and health care partners highlighted strategies for communities of color to avoid contracting and spreading the virus, including testing.

The event was held at the Kedren Community Health Center, a walk-up testing site in South L.A. that makes testing easy for Angelenos without a car. Other nearby testing locations include Inglewood, Charles Drew University in Willowbrook, and the Crenshaw Christian Center, which can test more than 3,000 people per day.

The City of Los Angeles has spent nearly $100 million to bring free testing to Angelenos, and it was one of the first large cities in America to offer testing for anyone, with or without symptoms. With the support of the Los Angeles Fire Department, the City has partnered with the County and Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE) to provide free testing sites until community health centers, clinics, pharmacies, doctor’s offices, and other medical providers could provide COVID-19 diagnostic tests. 

On Tuesday, July 7, 20,000 people were tested, the most ever conducted in a single day. By Thursday, July 9, total tests led by the City and County will exceed one million since public testing began on March 20. 

While the City conducts the majority of testing in the region, the demand for testing has increased significantly in recent weeks. Residents should check with their health care practitioners, as well as the nearly 100 State, County, and community-based providers who offer free testing in the L.A. area. People can find those providers through the City testing website at Coronavirus.LACity.org/Testing. New appointments are added daily.