LA County to lift COVID emergency declarations; some residents urged to be ready

Los Angeles County’s local emergency declarations due to COVID-19 will be lifted at the end of the day on Friday, March 31, resulting in the closure of county-run virus-testing centers and prompting a warning for Medi-Cal beneficiaries to ensure their case information is up to date.

Medi-Cal coverage will not stop on Friday, but the county Department of Public Social Services will be re-evaluating cases to ensure people are still eligible for the program, which provides health coverage for those with limited income and resources.

“Therefore, it is essential that beneficiaries ensure that the department has their most updated contact information, including names, addresses, telephone numbers and email address,” according to a statement from DPSS.

County officials said local beneficiaries will be receiving renewal forms in the mail, and residents should complete and return them as quickly as possible.

Roughly 3.7 million Los Angeles County residents are covered through Medi-Cal.

With the county’s emergency declarations ending, the county Department of Health Services will be closing its COVID-19 PCR testing centers at the end of the day Friday.

“The COVID-19 testing centers were established to provide residents with free and easy access to COVID-19 PCR tests, at the early stages of the pandemic when testing supplies were extremely limited,” Dr. Christina Ghaly, director of the county Department of Health Services, said in a statement.

“Today, COVID tests are widely available. Rapid antigen tests are available at most pharmacies, through primary care providers and urgent care locations, and in a variety of other community locations. Health care providers also have the ability to perform PCR tests for patients when needed.”

Ghaly noted that over the last nine months, there has been a 94% decrease in demand for in-person testing at DHS testing centers.

“While the worst of the pandemic is behind us, we do ask that you continue to take simple and effective preventive measures to mitigate the spread of the virus,” she said.

DHS-operated hospitals and clinics will continue to offer testing for people without insurance.