Orange County Public Schools and the Department of Health will offer daily COVID-19 testing after hours at rotating K-12 campuses throughout the week. Testing will be available at Catalina Elementary School on Mondays from 4 to 8 pm.

Starting today, OCPS will host COVID-19 testing every day in partnership with @DohOrange. Mon-Fri will be from 4-8pm for OCPS students, parents and staff. Every Sat & Sun will be from 10am- 4pm for anyone. REQs: ID, masks & legal guardian for minors. pic.twitter.com/4jP4T5pWP2

— ocpsnews (@OCPSnews) August 16, 2021

Dr. Raul Pino says the intention is to make it easier for parents to get their kids tested as symptoms appear without having to take a day off work.

Pino says the testing is also available to all members of that child’s family as a sick child can easily spread the virus to parents, siblings and grandparents who they live with.

So as we said before the child is just a vector between the school and the home back and forth. But it’s the same environment, we are all one community. So the idea is to offer that testing for families and children who may not be able to take advantage of the other sites that the county has opened.

Pino says he’s working with the state to secure rapid PCR testing that could be used on site during the day. 

That one is intended to catch any cases that may have come to school symptomatic, or may develop symptoms in their travel to school, or employees but also for anyone who may develop symptoms during the entire day of school operations.

Pino says the goal with both of these testing sites is to expedite testing in order to avoid future outbreaks.