Drive-Thru Coronavirus Testing Underway In Indio

INDIO, CA — Drive-thru coronavirus testing got underway Tuesday at the Riverside County Fairgrounds in Indio, as health officials prepare for the opening of a third screening site in Riverside, where slots for patients are filling quickly.

The fairgrounds location replaced the testing center that had been in operation at the Southwest Church in Indian Wells since March 17. Testing is available 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays, according to the Riverside University Health System.

Area residents can be screened for symptoms over the phone by calling 800-945-6171, and if deemed eligible, can schedule an appointment. Drive-ups without an appointment will not be permitted.

Symptoms mimic the flu and include fever, sore throat, runny nose and congestion, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

The new site in Riverside will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning Wednesday, at the Harvest Christian Fellowship Church parking lot, 6115 Arlington Ave., according to RUHS.

"Riverside County continues to offer more options for residents to get tested," county Supervisor Karen Spiegel said. "This third drive-up location will help ensure that those who have symptoms have options to get tested."

Appointments must be made by telephone in advance, and an RUHS official told City News Service that the calendar is already nearly full this week. Information and booking operators are available at 800-945-6171. The site will be open Tuesday through Saturday, officials said.

An additional COVID-19 screening location is Diamond Stadium in Lake Elsinore, where appointment-only patients can get drive-thru service between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Sundays to Thursdays. Anyone who lives within a 50-mile radius of the Riverside metropolitan area can access the site. More information is available regarding testing in Lake Elsinore at www.projectbaseline.com/study/...