CA City Opens Coronavirus Testing Site at Fire Station

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The city of Hayward will open a free testing facility Monday where sick people, first responders and health care workers with suspected exposure to the coronavirus can get tested, the city announced Sunday.

The COVID-19 Testing Center at Hayward Fire Station No. 7, 28270 Huntwood Ave., will open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will be managed by Hayward firefighter-paramedics and EMTs. It’s free and open to anyone, regardless of immigration status, the city said Sunday.

Up to 370 people a day will be tested.

City spokesman Chuck Finnie said Hayward police will be on hand to control traffic but that he hopes there won’t be an “unecessary rush” to get the tests. The goal is to prioritize health care workers and people who are already ill, he said.

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“We want sick people to come,” he said. “We want the wondering and the worried to stay home and continue to shelter in place.”

Hayward officials partnered with Avellino Lab USA, Inc. in Menlo Park, which will process the test kits in as little as six hours or the next day, officials said.

“Suppression, through isolation after testing, or SIT, as we call it, is an approach that has proven to be most effective in countries on the leading edge of this pandemic,” Hayward Fire Chief Garrett Contreras said in a news release Sunday.

Every driver who pulls up to the testing site will be asked a series of questions, such as whether they traveled recently or if they’ve had contact with someone who has the virus, Finnie said.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES:

• International Association of Fire Fighters Tool Kit
• International Association of Fire Chiefs Resource Page
• EPA List of Disinfectants to Use Against COVID-19

Those who qualify for testing will then get screened for fever, cough, shortness of breath and respiratory issues, among other symptoms. The test includes swabbing of the nasal cavities and the back of the throat, the city said.

“We want to take the pressure off emergency rooms and want to to get quick answers to people who are health workers and emergency responders,” Finnie said.

There are 68 coronavirus cases in Alameda County.

Tatiana Sanchez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @TatianaYSanchez.

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