The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department will be hosting a free COVID-19 pop-up testing center at I.V. Theater on Oct. 9, Oct. 23 and Nov. 6 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., marking the first time testing has been available in Isla Vista amidst a consistent rise in confirmed cases.
All community members are eligible for a test and will not require any form of identification, according to the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department website.
Appointments are also available through the Health Department’s website; although all online appointments for Oct. 9 have already been filled, walk-ins are still accepted. The registration links for Oct. 23 and Nov. 6 appointments are “coming soon,” according to the health department’s website.
The pop-up testing site is part of a larger initiative from Santa Barbara County to increase COVID-19 testing, as the county is currently in the state’s red zone for reopening — meaning the spread of COVID-19 is “substantial.” As of Thursday night, Santa Barbara County has 9,387 recorded cases, 246 of which are from Isla Vista.
Other permanent state-run community testing locations in Santa Barbara County include Santa Maria, Buellton and Goleta, which offer free COVID-19 testing by appointment only.
