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Santa Barbara Co. Public Health to begin community-based testing

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Eligible Santa Barbara County residents will be able to be screened in-person for COVID-19 starting the week of May 4th.

Santa Barbara County residents can call or go online this weekend to be screened for symptoms and risk factors, and if they are eligible, they will be scheduled for an appointment in Santa Maria. Testing will happen by appointment only. No walk-ins will be tested. If you have severe COVID-19 symptoms, please contact your medical provider and remain at home.

This location will be the first of three community-based testing sites coming to Santa Barbara County. These sites have been identified by the State of California and are supported by state and local resources. Future sites will be opened in Lompoc and Santa Barbara in the coming weeks.

“Our county welcomes this new testing opportunity and is pleased to expand access to our community members,” said Van Do-Reynoso, Santa Barbara County Public Health Director. “This expanded COVID-19 testing option will be in Santa Barbara County for the next few months and possibly longer. Testing services will cycle through key locations identified by the state. With additional testing, will also come expanded contact tracing and increased resources dedicated to safe quarantine and isolation housing, if needed. We are here to support our community through every step that comes after being tested for COVID-19.”

As a California community-based testing site, residents will be able to screen their symptoms and risk-factors online or by phone, and if eligible, schedule a testing appointment. Persons with one or more COVID-19 symptoms and asymptomatic, essential workers will be prioritized. More information about how to be screened and how to schedule an appointment will be forthcoming later this week.