Testing Guidance for Businesses

To move to the next tier of less restricted activities under guidelines from California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, the County needs to lower its COVID-19 test positivity rate. By supporting the County’s efforts in increased testing, local businesses can help expand business capacity and economic growth by:

• Encouraging and providing resources for employees to get tested—testing more broadly across the community enables the County to lower its overall test positivity rate, which allows for more open business activity.
• Proactively preventing workplace outbreaks—identifying cases early can stop the spread to other employees and avoid business closure due to COVID-19.
• Protecting customers

Free Onsite Testing Request

Frequent, large scale testing is one of the most effective ways to protect us all and slow the spread of COVID-19. 

Little Actions, Big Results is working with individual businesses, schools, churches and other groups to provide on-location test drop offs, mobile test center visits, and other testing options.

Submit a Free Onsite Testing Request

More Testing Options

The County is requesting that businesses take an active role in advancing testing in the community. To enhance efforts to identify COVID-19 cases, businesses can: 

• STATE TESTING SITES: Encourage employees to take a test at a State operated testing site. OptumServe offers testing at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Windsor Bluebird Center, and Petaluma Fairgrounds. Employees can schedule an appointment online at lhi.care/covidtesting or call 1-888-634-1123 and an OptumServe operator can provide information in either Spanish or English about the sites and appointments. Testing is also available in Santa Rosa through Project Baseline by Verily. Employees can make appointments online at projectbaseline.com/study/covid-19.  Testing is free at all sites. (Although state testing sites may ask for health insurance, it is not a requirement for testing.)
• POP UP TESTING SITES: Let employees know that there are neighborhood pop up testing sites offering free testing — The County is now offering pop-up testing opportunities with Federally Qualified Healthcare Centers (FQHC). Make an appointment on the County’s online scheduler or call (707) 565-4667
• SPONSORED TESTING SITES: Sponsor a testing site for employees at your business. Review the  California’s Testing Task Force Lab List and connect directly with a lab to offer testing for your employees and prevent workplace outbreaks. It is recommended that you confirm with your company’s insurance provider that COVID-19 testing is covered. (For workplace outbreaks call Sonoma Public Health Disease Control Department at (707) 565-4566)

Best Testing Options by Number of Employees

Be sure to inform your employees that if they live within targeted census tracts they can receive gift cards for getting tested, and may be eligible for financial assistance if they are diagnosed with COVID-19. View COVID-19 Enhanced Response Map for information on census tracts and eligibility for financial resources.

Employers can go to Covid-19 Workplace Exposure Guidelines for Employers for assistance and resources if an employee tests positive.

The COVID-19 Urgent Response and Aid (CURA) Project is a community-based collaboration to help connect Latinx and Indigenous community members in Sonoma County with needed resources to help recover and mitigate the spread of COVID-19. CURA Projects connects individuals with COVID-19 testing, healthcare, isolation care, emergency financial assistance, and other needed resources including free food distribution. Businesses may want to invite CURA to provide resources to their employees at their worksite. Employees can contact CURA directly by calling 707-309-8972 or visiting the CURA project website. 

Local businesses can support mitigation by modeling best practices with proactive workplace measures, such as:

• Closely following all safety protocols for their industry and workplace as outlined under the Blueprint for a safer economy
• Making sure the Social Distancing Protocol & COVID-19 Site-Specific Protection Plan template is up-to-date
• Screening staff for symptoms
• Providing staff with masks, gloves, and cleaning supplies
• Organizing operations to allow for adequate social distancing
• Posting and distributing accurate information on COVID-19 and on the rights and responsibilities of employees
• Cooperating with contract tracers and County investigators when there are cases at their workplace
• Encouraging and supporting employees to stay home if they are COVID-19 positive, exposed to COVID-19, or have symptoms
• Making it clear that there will be no retaliation for employees who have COVID-19, and that they will be allowed to return to their jobs after taking time off to properly isolate

Employees must follow isolation and quarantine instructions if they test positive or have had close contact with someone who has COVID-19. Employers, though, cannot force employees to get tested or ask for employees to show negative test results to go back to work.