Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said that all COVID-19 testing centers in the city closed Saturday afternoon due to safety concerns as protests against the killing of George Floyd continued throughout the city.
“We need to make sure, especially in communities that have less power, that we are able to make sure people don’t disproportionately die because of the color of their skin,” the mayor said. “We can’t do that when the city breaks down.”
All of the testing sites closed as of 3 p.m. the mayor said “because of the safety worries across the city.”
It wasn’t immediately clear if the other testing sites outside the city within broader L.A. County were affected.
Throughout L.A. County, there are 36 free COVID-19 testing locations, including both drive-thru and walk-thru sites. The testing sites have a capacity to reach 20,000 people a day, and 516,000 people have already been tested, according to the mayor.
“In our testing centers, we have the lowest positive rate for our tests since we started testing,” Garcetti said during a Friday news briefing, adding that the rate was at about 4.5%.
The newest and largest testing location opened on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium, with the capacity to test up to 6,000 people a day.