Monterey County announces new COVID-19 testing sites, provides date for revised Shelter in Place order

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION) The Monterey County Health Department announced that there will be two new COVID-19 testing sites in the county starting Tuesday.

Gov. Newsom recently announced that the state would add 80 diagnostic testing sites in underserved communities.

The testing sites will be in Salinas and Greenfield, and they will open at 8 a.m. Tuesday. To test, staff will collect a nasal swab, and specimens will be sent to an FDA-approved lab for COVID-19 testing.

The sites will prioritize healthcare workers and first responders, but there are also plans to prioritize other frontline and essential workers before the service is open to the public.

The sites will bill health insurance for the service, but the state will cover the cost for anyone without insurance. Testing will be by appointment only.

The Health Department also announced that Dr. Ed Moreno will issue a revised Shelter in Place order Friday at 10 a.m. It is expected to go into effect on Monday. It will extend the order, but also lift restrictions on some low-risk activities and on some industries.