Aerial footage from Los Angeles reveals long lines of cars waiting to get Covid tests

Long lines have formed outside a coronavirus testing site in Los Angeles at a time when the novel virus is surging through the California county.

Aerial footage showed hundreds of cars wrapping around Dodger Stadium, which has been used for months as a spot where residents could receive a Covid-19 test.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's office announced in a statement on Saturday the testing site would be temporarily closed over the weekend so the city could restructure how traffic would flow for cars. Dodger Stadium has administered more than one million Covid-19 tests since May, according to the mayor’s office.

“The Dodgers are committed to doing our part in the battle against Covid-19 by ensuring that testing continues to be available to all Angelenos, especially with the ongoing surge in cases and increase in demand for testing in Los Angeles,” Los Angeles Dodgers President and CEO Stan Kasten said in the statement.

“Surpassing one million tests at Dodger Stadium is a sobering reminder of just how many families have been affected by this terrible pandemic, and we thank the City and all our partners on the frontlines that continue to provide life-saving services to our community.”

The site was then reopened again on Monday and reportedly tripled in size to accommodate more people, but long lines still persisted for residents. In one video, cars were seen snaking along the roads leading to Dodger Stadium and into a parking lot in order to receive a Covid-19 test. 

Interest from residents in receiving a test comes at a time when Los Angeles County has become one county of concern in California due to the recent surge in coronavirus cases, hospitalisations, and deaths.

Mr Garcetti gave a grim statistic on Sunday when speaking CBS’ Face the Nation about how severe the virus has spread through the county. The county was recording one new coronavirus case every six seconds, he said.

Population density in the county was one reason behind the massive spread of the novel virus, he added, but it was also due to individual households.

“We're the densest metro area in the United States. But we're also seeing the household spread now,” Mr Garcetti said. “One person is coming home, an essential worker, there might be five, seven, 10 people in that household.”

The county reported 9,142 new coronavirus cases on Monday and 10,850 people have died from the novel virus since the start of the pandemic, according to the County of Los Angeles Public Health office. More than 6,000 people were currently in LA County hospitals with Covid-19.

Mr Garcetti said that it wasn’t those with pre-existing conditions driving the recent spread of the virus, but younger people who have become more relaxed with coronavirus guidelines.

“A lot of people who are younger or don't have pre-existing conditions have become very comfortable. This is a virus that preys off of our weakness, preys off of our exhaustion,” he said.

He warned the “darkest month” for the county could be in January given the recent surge and the potential impact of holiday travel and gatherings.