LA, First US Major City To Offer Free COVID-19 Tests To All Residents

Los Angeles offered free coronavirus testing to all its residents, making it the first major U.S. city to do so, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced on Wednesday.

According to CBS News, the tests would be available to all L.A. residents whether or not they showed symptoms of the disease, unlike previous cases where the tests would only be made available for high priority individuals such as those displaying COVID-19 symptoms or frontline workers such as healthcare personnel and grocery store employees.

According to L.A.’s official site, the testing is done by appointment only and is “being provided by the city in partnership with Los Angeles County and Community Organized Relief Effort”.

The CBS News report went on to say that people can sign up and schedule their appointments online immediately.

In a press conference where he made the announcement, Garcetti said that while the free testing would only apply to city residents for now, a similar plan is also in the works for Los Angeles County.

However, it is emphasized that the tests would still prioritize those who display the usual coronavirus symptoms such as fever, coughs and shortness of breath.

According to Business World, the free testing would also prioritize frontline workers as well.

The announcement also made it clear that there is no limit when it comes to the tests and people can go back to be tested several times.

Public health experts said that “easily available, widespread testing is a vital part of any plan to reopen the economy after lockdowns and other measures designed to curb the virus' spread.”

Business World reported that as of Wednesday (April 29), the L.A. County reported 1,541 new cases of coronavirus-positive individuals, making the total to 22,485 which is a seven per cent increase since the day prior.

In L.A. city, 683 new cases were reported on the same day the county cases were recorded, bringing the total to 10,380, which is also a seven percent increase since yesterday.

Los Angeles Times reported that according to Public Health Department Director Barbara Ferrer, the sudden increase in COVID-19-positive cases was because of the boost in testing and a weekend lag reporting.

The same report went on to say that public health officials also credited the increased number of confirmed cases to the increase in testing in prisons throughout the county.

However, Ferrer assured that, despite the increase in the number of confirmed cases and new deaths, “the county’s rate of hospitalizations and the percentage of people testing positive for the virus have remained fairly stable.”