Two free Covid-19 testing sites are now open in Monterey County.

Two new Covid-19 testing sites have opened in Monterey County. The locations—one at the Greenfield branch of Monterey County Free Libraries, located at 315 El Camino Real, and another in Salinas at Alisal High School, located at 777 Williams Road—opened Wednesday, May 6. 

The Weekly previously reported on local officials announcing of the opening of testing sites on May 2, as part of a statewide effort to make more testing available to underserved communities. 

The sites were made possible through a partnership between the state of California and OptumServe, a federal health services business of Optum. Before the Salinas testing site opened around 8:30am, more than a dozen people were waiting in line.

Testing will be by appointment only and sites will prioritize healthcare providers and first responders. There is planning in process for prioritizing testing other essential workers before the general public will be able to register for appointments starting the week of May 19, according to the Monterey County Health Department.

Testing will be available without a physician's referral and with no payment required.

A nasal swab or a throat swab will be collected and sent to an FDA-approved lab. Results will be available 36-48 hours after testing and individuals that test positive will be contacted. In cases of positive results, the Monterey County Health Department will follow up to start contact tracing. 

Appointments can be made online at lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 1-888-634-1123 if you don't have internet.