Free coronavirus testing is coming to these SLO County locations
A state-administered coronavirus testing center is moving from Paso Robles to San Luis Obispo — and pop-up testing sites will open in Cambria and Los Osos next week.
“We’ll have just one more week of testing in Paso Robles and it will discontinue after June 5,” said Penny Borenstein, the county’s health officer, at a Friday news conference. “We’ll have a new site for testing in San Luis Obispo city at the Veterans (Memorial) Hall.”
Starting June 8, free state testing will be available at 801 Grand Ave. in San Luis Obispo on weekdays between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Testing will continue at the Grover Beach location at Ramona Garden Park Center at 993 Ramona Ave. between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Additionally, county-administered, pop-up testing locations will open temporarily in two North Coast spots.
Free COVID-19 testing will take place at the Veterans Memorial Building, 1000 Main St. in Cambria, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday.
The Red Barn, 2180 Palisades Avenue in Los Osos, will host free testing at 9 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.
“Testing is one of the most important aspects of this, not only to have testing available for symptomatic people but to have widespread testing and contact testing when people become sick or may have been exposed,” Borenstein said. “So we want our community to utilize all the resources that are available.”
Borenstein said that despite the fact that Paso Robles has seen the highest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases — about 42% of the county’s 269 cases — the use of the center was relatively low and at risk of being closed without higher levels of participation.
“We would prefer to keep things in Paso,” Borenstein said. “But to be honest are numbers being tested at that location are considerably lower than at other locations, and the state is getting lots of requests to bring those resources to other locations.”
SLO County testing information
The county testing will be conducted with the nonprofit U.S. Health Fairs.
Those who register will not be charged a co-pay, but insurance will be charged.
“If you don’t have insurance, you won’t be charged at all,” according to the county’s website.
Advanced registration is required and no walk-up registrations will be permitted.
For more information, including registration, go to https://www.emergencyslo.org/en/testing-locations.aspx.
Call 888-634-1123 to make appointments for the state-run centers in Grover Beach, Paso Robles (until June 5) and San Luis Obispo (after June 8).
For the Cambria and Los Osos testing and other future county pop-up sites call 805-625-9245.
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