SEATTLE (December 22, 2020) – Mayor Jenny A. Durkan announced that the City of Seattle will be getting three new Curative COVID-19 testing kiosks at locations across the City. Two of the new kiosks will have an initial launch today, Tuesday, December 22, with the third launching on Saturday, December 26. All kiosks will initially operate from noon to 3:00 p.m., and afterwards from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays. These additional walk-up kiosks will be placed in locations in north, central, and south Seattle to provide more testing for residents across the City.
City of Seattle testing coordinators have chosen the following sites based on demand, rate of positive cases, and with a focus on serving underserved populations:
- North Seattle: Lower Woodland Park
- Uptown/Seattle Center: 2nd Ave and Republican, near the Seattle Repertory Theatre
- South Seattle: Old UW Laundry site west of Mt. Baker Light Rail Station
Locations are now listed on the Curative website, and clients can register for kiosk testing appointments at the North Seattle and Uptown locations beginning today. The South Seattle location will open on Saturday, December 26. These new kiosks can easily increase City of Seattle daily testing capacity by more than 1,500 tests. To date, the city has administered over 480,000 tests across the Aurora, SoDo, Rainier Beach, and West Seattle testing locations since June in addition to Curative kiosks.
“Testing continues to be one of the most important things we can do in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Since June, our free Citywide testing sites led by Seattle Fire have been a critical to slowing the spread of the outbreak in our City and our region. While our City of Seattle sites have conducted nearly 480,000 tests since June, these additional Curative kiosks enable us to reach more people in more neighborhoods all across our City,” said Mayor Jenny Durkan. “As we go into the holidays, we must remember that cases are still surging in our region and hospitalizations are at record levels. We must remain vigilant in order to keep our friends, families, loved ones, and communities safe.”
The new kiosks allow clients to use an observed and directed self-collected oral fluid swab COVID-19 test. A Curative staff member will be available at each location to walk clients through the quick and painless process. Results will be delivered electronically within 48 hours. As with other City-sponsored no-cost testing sites, individuals must pre-register online. Potential clients can access registration to schedule appointments at www.curative.com or through the city’s testing website. Hours of operation may be adjusted depending on demand, with initial days and hours set at Monday thru Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Clients will not be charged and will not receive a bill, regardless of insurance status. For uninsured clients, Curative will seek reimbursement from state and federal resources including the Families First Coronavirus Response Act Relief Fund for the cost of the test.
Seattle was the first major American city to be impacted by the virus. Nine months after the first case, Seattle has the lowest rates of COVID-19 related hospitalizations, infections, and the second-lowest death rate. As communities across the country await widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccines, individual behavior and testing remain the best way to mitigate virus spread within our communities.