As Tensions Rise, Curbstand Valet Service Offers To Repurpose Parking Lots For COVID-19 Testing, Vaccination Centers
Curbstand, California’s cashless Valet service, which enables users to pay, tip and request for their vehicle’s arrival, is offering its parking lots to be repurposed as Coronavirus Testing Centers.
As the Coronavirus spreads, a nationwide shortage of testing supplies and locations remains a cause for concern among Los Angeles residents, especially those who are experiencing symptoms.
In Maryland, the first drive-through Coronavirus testing site has already opened at Medstar’s St. Mary’s Hospital, providing hope that other states will follow suit.
“With the recent lockdown of restaurants and other businesses we service, we feel the government should repurpose our underutilized parking lots to COVID-19 screening and treatment centers, similar to what Cedars-Sinai has done in their parking garage,” says Curbstand CEO Arya Alexander.
“We have about 10,000 parking stalls positioned throughout Los Angeles, all in high-traffic and very accessible areas, including West Hollywood, where the virus has been spreading very actively.”
Whose assistance do they need?
“We’re offering our lots to anyone who can help. The CDC, WHO, private labs with a shortage of locations. If we join forces and combine our resources, we can fight this virus. Please contact us if you have sanitary supplies, resources, and/or testing kits. We have parking lots and many out-of-work employees.”
The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that L.A. County now has more than 144 confirmed cases. Officials have said the public should assume there are coronavirus patients in their neighborhood, some of whom might not know they’re sick.
Where can people get tested as of now?
Hospitals and private labs are offering testing to those with symptoms confirmed by their physicians. According to an article in Bloomberg, new coronavirus tests from lab-testing giants Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings and Quest Diagnostics Inc. will cost roughly $50 to $100.
For many, the cost was less of a concern than access to testing. As celebrities like Kevin Durant and Idris Elba announced their positive test results, Twitter users grew furious, accusing the system of favoritism towards celebrities.
While hospitals experience a wave of sick patients who are waiting hours on end to get tested, they are struggling to secure surgical masks, eye protection devices, and ventilators.
Physicians at UCLA hospital have reported limited access to tests for patients and staff alike. Many of them have been exposed through contact with patients, but don’t know who to turn to. “The hospital tells us we can be tested and then turns us away,” a UCLA resident tells us.
Experts believe the virus could infect at least half of the country's 329 million people, curtail economic and personal activity for weeks or months, and plunge the economy into recession.
According to the CDC, here’s what you can do as of now:
If you are a close contact of someone with COVID-19 or you are a resident in a community where there is ongoing spread of COVID-19 and develop symptoms of COVID-19, call your healthcare provider and tell them about your symptoms and your exposure. They will decide whether you need to be tested, but keep in mind that there is no treatment for COVID-19 and people who are mildly ill may be able to isolate and care for themselves at home.
Symptoms include but are not limited to:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)