The Escalon Community Center is now a local site for drive-thru COVID testing. The testing is available on Mondays only, from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the Community Center, 1055 Escalon Ave.
This past Monday, Dec. 14, was the first day that the local site was operational.
“They do need to sign up in advance,” said Escalon City Manager Tammy Alcantor.
Those interested in the no cost testing can go to the city’s website at cityofescalon.org and register with the code available there or visit www.projectbaseline.com/covid.
“They will ask for insurance if you have it but it is not required,” Alcantor added of the testing.
She said she had been in discussions with county officials before but Escalon was not among one of the first cities chosen for the drive-thru testing; a different site recently closed and Alcantor said that’s when Escalon was given the chance for the testing.
“They reached out to me,” she said of the county, and with COVID numbers in the county continuing to rise, officials are glad to have the testing available so close to home for residents.
Meanwhile, another option for residents is also available through the county’s Regional Transit District, with free COVID-19 testing on site at the Downtown Transit Center in Stockton.
San Joaquin County is reporting the largest increase in daily and weekly COVID-19 cases since its summer peak, and officials at the San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD) have also partnered with the community in combating the increase by hosting the free COVID-19 testing.
“Since testing is another way to keep cases down,” said RTD CEO Gloria Salazar, “we wanted to do our part in making tests more accessible for our frontline employees and our community.”
RTD hosts the free COVID-19 testing from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and will continue to do so every Tuesday based upon demand for tests.
To pre-register for the test in Stockton, visit https://avellinocov2.com/ and follow the prompts. Registration forms are also available at each testing site on a walk up basis, including the Escalon site but those who have pre-registered get priority.
