Phoenix Offers COVID-19 Tests To All City Workers
Coronavirus testing will begin Thursday for any city of Phoenix employee who wants it.
Employees can make appointments for drive-up service at the state fairgrounds at 19th Avenue and McDowell Road. The nasal swab test, formally referred to as a viral test, will determine whether the person currently has the virus. If they do, Assistant City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr. said Phoenix will begin contact tracing.
“Who has that person been in contact with at the workplace? When is the last time that person was at work? And the city’s responsibility would be to notify those additional people,” he said. “The city would also have the responsibility to take the steps to provide the deep cleaning that we do once we have a positive test.”
Employees who test positive would need to test negative for two straight weeks before returning to work. Dohoney said tests are available to nearly 14,000 employees- regardless of whether they’re on the city’s health plan.
“Not only will their test results benefit them but analysis of their data set should give us a glimpse into how far COVID-19 has penetrated Phoenix,” he said.
Phoenix will use federal relief funds to cover the cost of voluntary tests, about $100 each.
Dohoney also told the City Council on Tuesday that community testing would be available to the general public starting May 23 at Steele Indian School Park. The city is not involved other than providing space at a city park for SonoraQuest to conduct tests. Another location being considered for future public testing is Desert West Park at 67th Avenue and Encanto Boulevard.
