Due to lower demand for COVID-19 testing in the area, the Long Beach Civic Center testing site will close after operations after Friday, April 1.

This city-run site was one of two established in late January to meet testing needs in the area during a surge in COVID cases earlier this year. The second site was established at the Long Beach City College, Pacific Coast Campus, which is still operating.

When the Civic Center testing site opened on Jan. 31, the positivity rate for Long Beach was 22.2% and the case rate was 87.3 per 100,000 residents. Now as of March 21, the positivity rate is 1.48% and the case rate is 2.5 per 100,000 residents. Friday, April 1 will be the last day of operations for the testing site.

This announcement also comes after the city issued a new health order effective today that no longer requires bars and other drinking establishments to check the vaccination status of patrons, as a result of low cases.

In the meantime, five free COVID-19 testings sites are still offered seven days a week:

  • Cabrillo High School (2001 Santa Fe Ave.)
    • Saturdays and Sundays, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2:30 to 5 p.m.
  • Long Beach City College, Pacific Coast Campus (Parking Lot 1, at the corner of Orange Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway)
    • Tuesdays through Fridays, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2:30 to 5 p.m.
    • Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Doris Topsy-Elvord Community Center at Houghton Park (6301 Myrtle Ave.)
    • Mondays through Fridays, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2:30 to 5 p.m.
    • Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Cal State Long Beach (6049 E. Seventh St.)
    • Mondays and Wednesdays in March, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Long Beach City College, Veterans Stadium (5000 E. Lew Davis St.)
    • Mondays through Fridays, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2:30 to 5 p.m.

The Long Beach health department said in a statement that it remains flexible, with the capacity to reopen this site and expand testing operations should the need arise. To date, the health department has administered 916,537 free COVID-19 tests in the city.

If you are experiencing any COVID-like systems or have been in close contact with someone who has or might have the virus, health officials recommend getting tested, regardless of vaccination status.

Test results are generally available within 48 hours, and appointments can be made at longbeach.gov/covid19testing or by calling 562-570-4636. People can also contact their healthcare provider or area pharmacies to get tested, subject to availability. To find other sites across Los Angeles County, people can visit https://covid19.lacounty.gov/testing/.

https://staging-live.lbpost.com/news/vaccination-no-longer-required-in-bars-and-soon-indoor-mega-events