SLO Veterans Hall Covid testing site closing after more than two years, County moving testing to new location

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- After more than two-and-a-half years, the San Luis Obispo Veterans Memorial Building (SLO Vets Hall) will no longer serve as a COVID-19 testing site for San Luis Obispo County Public Health after today.

The Public Health Department is moving its San Luis Obispo testing site to a new location at 3450 Broad Street (Suite 111).

Testing will begin at the new location on Jan. 4, 2023. The site is accessible from Broad St. or Sacramento Dr. and will be visibly marked when it opens next week.

The well-known SLO Vets Hall, located near the intersection of Monterey St. and Grand Ave., has been an instrumental facility for the Public Health Department throughout the entire duration of the pandemic.

“I’m grateful to our community’s veterans for so graciously sharing their wonderful space for more than two years,” said Dr. Penny Borenstein, San Luis Obispo County Health Officer. “I’m also grateful that demand for testing has decreased to a level where it is possible to meet the need in a different location and return this space to its original use. We remain ready to respond if needs change."

The two other Public Health testing sites in Grover Beach and Paso Robles will remain at their current locations.

The Grover Beach location is 1336 Ramona Ave., Suite A, and the Paso Robles site is at 800 Pine St.

All three sites are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and are closed from 11 a.m. to noon and 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. The Grover Beach site is closed on Fridays.

According to the County, patients who test positive for COVID-19 may access Test to Treat services at the community sites and take home a course of Paxlovid antiviral medication if indicated.

In addition to COVID-19 testing, the community sites also provide rapid testing for influenza.