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A two-day mass testing campaign in Oakland’s Fruitvale district, intended to shed light on how coronavirus has spread in one of Alameda County’s hardest-hit neighborhoods, has been postponed to Sept. 26 and 27 because of unhealthy air quality this weekend due to California wildfires.
The event, originally scheduled for Sept. 12 and 13, was organized by the University of California San Francisco in partnership with a group of community organizations led by The Unity Council and is being hosted by La Clinica de la Raza. Organizers hope to test as many as 4,000 residents in an effort modeled after large-scale testing campaigns organized by UCSF in San Francisco’s Mission District.
People will be able to get a free coronavirus nose-swab test as well as an antibody test that will detect past exposure to the virus. Residents of the census tract just north of the Fruitvale BART station, between International and Foothill boulevards and from Fruitvale Avenue to High Street, are being targeted for the testing, but organizers said no one would be turned away.
Community organizations also will interview at least 100 essential workers, provide meals to families and give away school supplies donated by the Golden State Warriors in hopes of making the testing experience less intimidating.
“We’re trying to take care of these families as best we can,” Chris Iglesias, CEO of The Unity Council, said. “Hopefully we’ll learn a lot and get some powerful tools to get this under control here in Fruitvale and in East Oakland.”
The campaign was postponed on Thursday after guidance from the Oakland Fire Department and forecasts that predicted unhealthy air quality through the weekend.
La Clinica, which has been conducting testing at a parking lot next to the BART station, closed its regular testing on Friday because of the smoke. The clinic doesn’t hold regular testing on the weekends. To register, residents can visit www.primarybio.com/r/fruitvale or call 415-506-7563 if they have any questions.
