Los Angeles offers free coronavirus testing for all residents

All Los Angeles city and county residents will now have access to free coronavirus tests at city-run testing sites regardless of whether they have symptoms, Mayor Eric Garcetti (D) announced Wednesday.

Previously, testing in Los Angeles was limited to individuals showing symptoms, front-line workers and those who lived or were employed at institutional facilities such as nursing homes. By opening the city’s testing centers to the broader population, Garcetti said officials hope to stem the spread of the potentially deadly infection by identifying asymptomatic carriers while also gaining a better understanding of the virus’s impacts on the community.