HAYWARD – An overwhelming number of people looking for COVID-19 evidence led authorities to close a vehicle access line at a city testing center more than three hours before the scheduled closing time for Tuesday.
Citing the “high demand” for evidence as community members seek authorizations to return to work, the line was cut at 12:30 p.m. M. After it was determined that the maximum number of people who could be served on Tuesday had already arrived.
The testing center operates from 9 am to 4 pm on weekdays, but a press release issued by the City of Hayward indicated that the access line will continue to be blocked when the center no longer has enough testing to serve additional drivers and passengers.
City spokesman Chuck Finnie said 475 tests were administered Monday at the center when the line closed around 2 p.m. All the people who were in line before the line was closed received the evidence, but the workers did not leave the facility until after 5 p.m. prompting the city to close the line earlier Tuesday.
Finnie said the center is designed to accommodate a maximum of approximately 400 tests per day. In the first three months of operation, beginning in late March, the City of Hayward administered 18,418 COVID-19 tests.
As of Tuesday, 987 of the 5,813 coronavirus cases in Alameda County had been recorded in Hayward, which has a population of 159,203, according to the latest estimate from the United States Census Bureau. Data provided by the Alameda County Department of Public Health shows Hayward has recorded 613 positive tests per 100,000 residents, which is the highest rate per 100,000 residents of any county city.
Alameda County’s 5,813 cases of coronavirus are the majority of Bay Area counties.
The City of Hayward COVID-19 Test Center is operated by the Hayward Fire Department and located on Lot A of the Cal East Bay State University campus. All tests are free and are given on a first-come, first-served basis, regardless of a person’s place of residence or immigration status.
The site was originally opened to screen only people showing COVID-19 symptoms, but Finnie said anyone can now get a test.
Hours of operation for the test center were already scheduled for this week, as the city plans to close the test center on Friday, July 3, in commemoration of Independence Day.
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