Mayor London N. Breed, the SF Department of Public Health (SFDPH), and the SF Recreation and Park Department will launch a new COVID-19 testing site in a parking lot near the Crocker Amazon sports complex, located at 799 Moscow Street and Geneva Street, in partnership with the SF Unified School District (SFUSD).
With a capacity to administer 150 tests per day to SFUSD students and staff, the Crocker Amazon testing site will open on Tuesday, October 5, with operating hours of 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays. Walk-ups are encouraged, appointments are not required, and test results will be available within 24 to 48 hours. The SFUSD testing site is located near the club house and can be accessed from Moscow Street.
The site will exclusively serve SFUSD students and staff who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or are considered a close contact of someone who has a positive COVID test. SFUSD is contracting with Color Health, and SF is providing the Crocker Amazon sports complex site. A dedicated community testing site for the school district supports the need for schools to remain safely open with minimal disruptions while following SFDPH guidance. In addition, SFUSD students and staff have access to free school-based COVID testing through mobile sites across SF.
“It has never been more important for us to do all that we can to ensure that our kids remain safely in the classroom — and testing for COVID is an important part of that,” said Mayor Breed. “Testing must be made easy and quick so that students and staff can get back into the classroom as soon as possible, and this testing site is dedicated to making that happen.”
Earlier this month, SF and SFUSD opened vaccination sites at four schools in the district to make it convenient for anyone eligible in the school community to get vaccinated. Those vaccination sites will be able to expand to accommodate children ages 5-11 once they become eligible, possibly this fall.
“Vaccination, testing, indoor masking and other common-sense measures will get us out of the pandemic,” said Director of Health, Dr. Grant Colfax. “The new testing site for SFUSD at Crocker Amazon is part of the infrastructure we have been building to support our children and school community as we navigate through full-time, in-person learning this fall.”
SFUSD has partnered with Color Health to conduct the COVID tests to comply with SFDPH schools guidance, and SF Recreation and Parks is providing the location.
“SFUSD is already operationalizing one of the largest COVID-19 testing efforts in San Francisco, and we are thrilled to be able to offer another dedicated testing site for students and staff who are experiencing symptoms or are considered a close contact so they do not have to go into a school site for a COVID-19 test,” SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews said. “By prioritizing and investing in COVID-19 mitigation efforts, we can keep our communities safe.”
“Crocker Amazon is home to a large outdoor sports complex that makes a convenient, efficient and safe place for students to be tested for COVID,” said San Francisco Recreation and Park General Manager Phil Ginsburg. “From testing and vaccination sites to food distribution centers to emergency childcare facilities, parks have played a critical role in responding to the health emergency.”
To date, SFDPH data demonstrates schools remain safe settings for children and staff under COVID safety protocols. Cases among SF residents under age 18 have remained low and stable throughout the pandemic.