Last night, the Woodland City Council approved a proposal to provide funding to support free COVID-19 community testing from Healthy Yolo Together at Norton Hall into the new year. The unanimous vote reinforces Woodland’s continued commitment to preventing the spread of COVID-19 and meeting community testing needs, especially with the recent announcement of cases of the highly transmissible B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in Woodland.
“We are proud to continue partnering with Healthy Yolo Together to provide our community with free, accessible COVID-19 testing,” said City Manager Ken Hiatt. “The identification of Omicron in Woodland by the UC Davis Genome Center proves we’re not out of the woods yet, and we must use all of the tools we have, including vaccinations, boosters, testing, and following local mask guidance, to reduce the spread of the virus during the holidays and into the new year.”
Under the extended agreement with the City of Woodland, free saliva-based (spit in a tube) COVID-19 testing will continue to be offered at Norton Hall on the University of California Cooperative Extension campus (see below for location and hours). While Norton Hall has been conducting approximately 200 tests per day, that number increased to more than 300 as of Monday. More details on the extended community testing program in 2022 will be shared as plans are finalized.
“We are grateful to the Woodland City Council and the Woodland community for their continued commitment to testing as we enter a new stage of the pandemic,” said Tod Stoltz, Chief Operating Officer for Healthy Yolo Together. “With a transmission rate much higher than the Delta variant, Omicron will likely soon become the dominant variant in Yolo County, further reinforcing the importance of having free, easy and accessible COVID-19 testing available to help protect the health of our loved ones, friends and neighbors.”
The Omicron variant has previously been identified as a variant of concern by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The CDC is working with other U.S. and global public health and industry partners to learn more about this variant, including how severe its cases are compared to other variants and the level of protection provided by current vaccines. Until more is known, it is important to take every precaution to prevent the spread of the new variant.
Getting vaccinated and boosted, getting tested, and following local mask guidance are the most important things people can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and its variants, including Omicron. If you are traveling or gathering this holiday season and you are vaccinated, it is recommended you get tested one to three days prior and three to five days after, and if you are not yet vaccinated, it is important to get tested regularly. With the recent approval of the Pfizer vaccine for children from 5-11 years of age, Healthy Yolo Together strongly encourages everyone 5 years and older to get vaccinated.
For more information on testing locations and times, visit HealthyYoloTogether.org/testing/. Appointments are preferred, but walk-ins are accepted at most testing locations. Parking is free.
Norton Hall Community COVID-19 Testing
70 Cottonwood St.
Woodland, CA 95695
Monday–Friday: 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Closed for lunch: 12:15 – 1:30 PM
Saliva-based testing for people with and without symptoms of COVID-19.
About Healthy Yolo Together
Healthy Yolo Together is a development of Healthy Davis Together, a joint project between UC Davis and the City of Davis to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our community and facilitate a coordinated and gradual return to regular city activities and student life. Comments and questions are welcome at info@HealthyDavisTogether.org.