NEW ORLEANS - The past few weeks have been challenging for residents of Orleans Parish in the fight against COVID-19, and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell continues to lead the battle by taking measures to bring relief to residents.

The Mayor issued a statement via her organization, Team LaToya, on Tuesday morning mentioning that she took swift action to seek assistance from the federal government as the city wrestles with the spread of the virus.

The statement explains that under Cantrell's leadership, the federal government made New Orleans part of a pilot program offering drive-thru testing for people that meet the criteria for testing and are most at-risk. 

At its outset, the program administered virus testing services to first responders and healthcare facility workers, in only a short time these services were expanded to include the general public.

As of Tuesday morning, more than 250 tests are being administered at each site daily, ensuring that free healthcare is available to hundreds of at-risk residents every day.

Three drive-thru testing sites in the crescent city are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and are located at the following locations:

-UNO Lakefront Arena  

6801 Frankling Avenue

-Mahalia Jackson Theater

1419 Basin Street

-Alario Center

2000 Segnette Boulevard

Anyone interested in visiting one of the above sites should keep in mind that tests are free, but limited and only those with symptoms will be tested. Results are delivered to patients by phone in 3-5 days.

Click here for more information related to COVID-19 testing.