CATHEDRAL CITY – A state-operated coronavirus testing site will provide COVID testing next week in Cathedral City. Coronavirus testing will be available from Monday, January 11 to Friday, January 15, at Northgate Community Church in Cathedral City, 30-010 Date Palm Dr. The site is open from 7:00 a.m. until 7 p.m. daily.
Testing is open to anyone. Appointments are required and can be made online at https://lhi.care/covidtesting. Walk-ins will be limited to replace missed appointments.
The site is operated by the State of California and OptumServe, in partnership with Riverside County, and can accommodate up to 165 appointments per day.
All residents are encouraged to get tested, which helps public health officials identify cases and ultimately slow the spread of the virus by more effectively isolating those who are COVID‑positive so they can recover without passing the virus to others. Testing is for everyone, regardless of immigration status, insurance, or whether one has symptoms or not. There is no charge to the individual.
Testing, however, is a snapshot in time. A test result is only from the point of time one got tested and the virus could be incubating. The virus can still be contracted from people who are COVID‑positive and may not know it. As the hospitals are under immense strain, it is important everyone keep their guard up and follow the public health requirements.
“With the rapid spread of coronavirus, it is important to have testing closer and widely available in our communities to slow the spread of this virus,” said Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. “Having this testing site in Cathedral City will improve access for these residents, especially for those who haven’t been tested before now, and it will help keep their coworkers, families and the community safe.”
Cathedral City Mayor Raymond Gregory will get tested at the new site on Monday morning, the City of Cathedral City announced on Friday.
“As we face a surge on top of a surge, it is important that all residents get tested for COVID-19 on a regular basis,” stated Mayor Gregory. “With vaccines still months away for most of our population, testing remains a crucial tool in the fight against the coronavirus by allowing an infected person to isolate so he or she will not spread it unknowingly to another family member or coworker.”
In addition to this temporary testing location, testing sites are at the Riverside County Fairgrounds in Indio, and state-operated testing sites at the Palm Springs Convention Center and in Desert Hot Springs. Riverside County residents are also getting tested at pharmacies, community health centers, nonprofit health clinics, hospitals, private testing sites and urgent cares.
For information on testing and county and state-operated testing sites, visit https://gettested.ruhealth.org.
