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As holiday season ends, Santa Barbara residents rush to get COVID-19 tests before returning to school, work

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Santa Barbara is getting back to work. For many, Monday was the first workday after Christmas and New Year’s Eve travel holidays. 

Before heading back to the office or classroom, people in Santa Barbara are heading to COVID-19 testing sites.

There are two in the Santa Barbara area that are free. One is at the Direct Relief parking lot at 6100 Wallace Becknell Road. The other is the testing trailer at Santa Barbara County Public Health Department at 267 Camino del Remedio.

Testing availability at both sites is very limited. According to the SBCPH website, the earliest appointment as of Monday morning was 11 days out on January 14.

Despite the growing demand for testing, the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department recently closed two COVID-19 testing sites in Buellton and Goleta. Public health officials said they were reviewing the demand for testing and are preparing to send a request to the state to open more testing sites if needed.

To schedule a COVID-19 test, visit the SBCPH website.

Article Topic Follows: Coronavirus

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Scott Sheahen

Scott Sheahen is a reporter for NewsChannel 3-12. To learn more about Scott, click here.

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