IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
California has opened a testing, vaccination and receiving center in Indio, a move state official hope will protect the health of border towns and migrants.
The facility, at 82025 Highway 111 near Monroe Street, is providing support to Riverside County teams that are receiving asylum seekers dropped off by the U.S. Customs & Border Protection, according to a statement on the county’s website.
The parking lot-facility is open seven days a week. It’s providing COVID-19 tests for all families and individuals dropped off in eastern Riverside County.
COVID-19 vaccinations are expected to be administered there in the future.
“The opening of this site represents important progress towards protecting public health and safety in the communities near the border while maintaining dignity and respect for newly arrived immigrants,” said Tom Osborne, deputy director of homeland security at the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
Drop-offs began in early March. Since then the county has received more than 2,000 individuals, about half of which have needed to isolate or quarantine “based on a positive test within their family,” according to the statement.
