The first in a series of COVID testing events in Riverbank began Tuesday, Jan. 5 in the Community Center parking lot.

The testing is free to the city and its residents, according to City Manager Sean Scully.

“We coordinated this effort through a partnership with Congressman (Josh) Harder’s office and a testing company called Curative. The testing is free to the City and its residents,” Scully reiterated.

The testing will continue every week on Tuesdays, and, depending on the level of interest from the community, Scully said officials can increase the number of days the testing is available each week.

“It will continue indefinitely or at least until there isn’t significant demand for testing anymore,” he concluded.

Those interested need to make an online appointment to get tested, which allows organizers to keep everyone socially distanced properly in accordance with pandemic protocols.

The schedule availability shows immediately when one opens up the web page, cur.tv/Riverbank. It’s easy to use, and locks on to your location to bring up the correct page. And the testing is available for children, too, they note.

When beginning the process, users will have to show their registration number and identification.

The company, Curative, is providing testing in many locations in Stanislaus County, with nearby Oakdale reportedly to begin testing on Thursdays.