coronavirus

LA County's Largest Virus Testing Site Opens at Dodger Stadium

The stadium's parking lot has the capacity for 6,000 test per day, the mayor says.

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What to Know

  • A drive-thru coronavirus testing site at Dodger Stadium is open.
  • Testing is free. You just need to make an appointment.
  • Sixty staff members and big-screen monitors will help guide people through the process.

The largest coronavirus testing site in Los Angeles County opened Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.

Testing is free. You’ll need to make an appointment on the city’s Covid-19 resources site. 

Six thousand people can be tested for the virus in one day at the baseball stadium's parking area, which also is being used to store unused rental cars during the pandemic.

Mayor Eric Garcetti spoke about the test site during a morning news conference on the field.

"As we go further, (testing) will help us see those people without symptoms and help us get back to work safely," Garcetti said after holding up a Dodgers-themed face mask. "We teamed up with CORE and found an amazing partner."

The drive-thru test site is the result of a partnership with the Los Angeles Fire Department, the Dodgers and the nonprofit Community Organized Relief Effort co-founded by actor Sean Penn.

The new site will have the capacity for thousands of tests per day, the mayor says. Toni Guinyard reports for Today in LA on Tuesday May 26, 2020.

A smaller testing location opened near the stadium earlier this spring.

Testing was expected to begin at 10 a.m.

"This site isn't special just because of where it is and all those amazing memories we have of going to Chavez Ravine to see the boys in blue play. It's remarkable because we'll be able to test up to 6,000 people a day," Mayor Eric Garcetti said.  "That's three times larger than any testing site that we have. And we've designed the site to move as many people as quickly through that site as possible, alleviating long wait times and long lines."

LA County's largest coronavirus testing site opened at Dodger Stadium. Video broadcast Tuesday May 26, 2020 on the NBC4 News at 11 a.m.

Sixty staff members help people through the process. Donated big screens will show people how to administered the tests. 

The mayor has encouraged all resident to get tested, with or without symptoms.

Los Angeles County reported 1,047 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 12 additional deaths Monday, raising the county's totals to 46,018 cases and 2,116 deaths.

Ninety-three percent of the county's fatalities involved underlying health conditions.

The new numbers came Monday shortly after the California Department of Public Health announced the statewide reopening of in-store retail shopping, subject to approval from individual counties. It was unclear when Los Angeles County might act to facilitate the resumption of in-person shopping. 

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