Los Angeles Opens COVID Testing Kiosk at Union Station

The city's first free COVID-19 testing kiosk will open at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles Thursday.

The new stand is part of a pilot program intended to reach those who can't get to drive-thru tests. Testing will take place on September 10-13 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m and will continue throughout the month.

Curative Inc, which handles about 10% of the nation's tests, will process the self-administered mouth swab tests. No appointment is necessary, although it's encouraged. About 300 tests will be available daily, and additional capacity will be added. There is a 24-hour turnaround time for results. Those interested can sign up here.

A similar program rolled out in Curative Inc. in Berkeley in July.

It comes as officials have begun to see lower transmission rates, though some experts are concerned that the trend could easily be reversed.

There are plans to open up K-12 for special need students. And officials who urged the public to stay away from crowds during Labor Day weekend to avoid outbreaks such as those seen after Memorial Day are still waiting to see if the holiday will be followed by a similar spike in infections.

As of Wednesday, 6,090 people have died from the novel coronavirus in Los Angeles County and 249,859 cases have been identified. About 10% of the nearly 2.4 million individuals tested have been positive.

Earlier this month, Los Angeles launched a series of pop-up mobile testing sites. Residents can find those locations and pre-register here.