SACRAMENTO – (INT) - Governor Newsom has activated the California National Guard to support local communities with additional testing facilities and capacity amid the surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant.

The new action is on top of the existing 6,000 testing sites that have been set up across the state.

The announcement comes as Omicron continues to spread rapidly across the globe, accounting for at least 80% of COVID-19 cases in California.

The National Guard plan will deploy over 200 Cal Guard members across 50 sites around the state, providing interim clinical staff while permanent staff are hired, adding capacity for walk-ins, assisting with crowd control and back-filling for staff absences.

Additional members of the Guard will be deployed in the coming in similar capacities.

Currently, 90% of Californians live within a 30-minute drive of a site. Amidst the surge, the state has been able to maintain a 48-hour turn around for PCR tests.

Story Date: January 9, 2022