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New Free COVID-19 Testing Site At LA Mexican Consulate Aims To Fill A Need In The Community
The Consulate General of Mexico, 2401 W. 6th Street, Los Angeles. (Photo from the Facebook page of L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis)
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A free COVID-19 testing site at the Mexican Consulate by MacArthur Park opened earlier this week to address the need for testing in the surrounding community, home to many immigrants from Latin America.
The surrounding Westlake neighborhood and nearby Pico-Union are among the L.A. neighborhoods with high COVID-19 case numbers, as the coronavirus pandemic has taken a disproportionate toll on communities of color.
Latinos in L.A. County have become infected with the virus at high rates; Latinos, followed by Black county residents, also have the highest age-adjusted death rate according to a recent UCLA analysis.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis partnered with the consulate to open the new testing site.
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“Expanding access to COVID-19 testing is imperative to slowing the spread of this highly contagious virus,” Solis said in a statement. “Many Latino immigrants and communities of color are hardworking essential workers with limited access to healthcare.”
Solis also said the spot was chosen to be welcoming to immigrants who are afraid to seek health services in today's political climate: “That takes us right to the question of will this be viewed as a public charge and be used against them if they want to obtain citizenship or any kind of legal residency here, and we're telling people ‘no.'”
The COVID-19 testing site at the Mexican Consulate, which is located at 2401 W. 6th Street, is also staffed by representatives from the consulates of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Spanish and indigenous language translation services are available.
The site can test up to 1,500 people a day. More information on this and other COVID-19 testing sites and appointments can be found here.
READ MORE:
- As Many Angelenos Stayed Home, LA County Saw A Spike In Coronavirus Among Latinos. Here's Why
- Confused About Whether To Get A Coronavirus Test? Here's What You Need To Know
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