This post was updated April 29 at 7:18 p.m.
All Los Angeles County residents, both with and without symptoms, can receive a free test for the novel coronavirus as of Wednesday.
Los Angeles is the first major city in the United States to offer wide-scale testing to all residents, said LA Mayor Eric Garcetti at his press briefing Wednesday.
Previously, testing was only available to residents with symptoms. However, Garcetti began offering testing to essential workers both with and without symptoms last Thursday.
“Those with symptoms will of course have the first priority, but we have the capacity, we believe, to move forward with (expanded testing) starting tonight,” Garcetti said.
LA County currently has seen 22,485 cases of COVID-19 and 1,056 related deaths, according to the LA County Department of Public Health. The UCLA community currently has 26 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, with 13 students and 13 staff members testing positive.
