The City of Hayward COVID-19 testing center stopped allowing new vehicles to enter the drive-up line more than three hours before the site was scheduled to close Tuesday.
Citing “heavy demand” for tests as community members seek clearances to return to work, the line was cut off at 12:30 p.m. after it was determined the maximum number of people who could be served Tuesday had already arrived.
The testing center operates from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on weekdays, but a press release issued by the City of Hayward stated the drive-up line will continue to be blocked off when the center no longer has enough tests to serve additional drivers and passengers.
City spokesperson Chuck Finnie said 475 tests were administered at the center on Monday when the line shut down around 2 p.m. All people who were in line before the line was closed off received tests, but workers didn’t leave the facility until after 5 p.m., prompting the city to close the line earlier on Tuesday.
Finnie said the center is designed to accommodate a maximum of about 400 tests per day and in the first three months of operation (March 23-June 23), 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 Public Health Department shows Hayward has registered 613 positive tests per 100,000 residents, which is the highest rate per 100,000 residents of any city in the county.
Alameda County’s 5,813 coronavirus cases are the most of any Bay Area county.
The City of Hayward COVID-19 testing center is operated by the Hayward Fire Department and located on Lot A of the Cal State University East Bay campus. All tests are free and served on a first-come, first-serve basis, regardless of a person’s place of residence or immigration status.
The site was originally opened to test only people who were showing symptoms of COVID-19, but Finnie said anyone can now receive a test.
The hours of operation for the testing center were already scheduled to be cut this week as the city plans to close the testing center on Friday, July 3 in observance of Independence Day.
