New COVID-19 cases as health officials confirm free Memorial Day testing for 150 residents at Alma's Flea Market

Early Friday evening, health officials confirmed the new cases. They determined that eight of the new cases contracted the disease through close contact while the additional 10 cases are still under investigation.

Alma’s Flea Market closed about nine weeks ago at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The local flea market, located at 8967 Lacey Blvd. has been a regular Monday feature in Hanford for years.

As businesses begin to plan to reopen safely, Alma’s Flea Market has agreed to allow the KCDPH to set up a testing site in the parking lot this upcoming Memorial Day, May 25. Testing will be available starting at 8 a.m. and is open to everyone, including those that are uninsured or undocumented. Again, it will be limited to the first 150 individuals.

The state’s approval earlier this week of Kings County’s variance attestation, which indicates that the County has met the state’s readiness criteria, allows for an expanded set of businesses to open with modifications, including shopping malls and swap meets.

“Alma’s Flea Market has been an integral part of the community for over 50 years, and we are happy and excited to be able to open up again and welcome back vendors and shoppers,” said Charlene Jespersen, owner, and operator. “We appreciate the importance of preventing the spread of COVID-19 and are implementing numerous measures to minimize the risk to everyone. We feel that the testing event will be a great resource for the community, and it will be conveniently placed to reach as many residents as possible.”

According to local health officials, Alma’s Flea Market has a long history of collaborating with KCDPH and has provided use of its grounds for flu clinic events and public health exercises in the past.

The site was selected to run the COVID-19 community testing event due to the flea market’s long-standing reputation for serving the community, as well as the fact that the market will open on a holiday when there is a usual increase of foot traffic.

“Partnering with Alma’s Flea Market to run a COVID-19 community testing event on Memorial Day will allow public health nurses access to a large number of individuals that might otherwise go untested,” said Edward Hill, Director of Kings County Department of Public Health. “It is crucial that as many people as possible are tested for the virus, to prevent future outbreaks and slow the spread.”

Hill also stated that it is essential that everyone continue following social distancing and hygiene guidelines, and that there are no measures any business can take to eliminate the risk of COVID-19 infections. “The most effective way to avoid COVID-19 is still to avoid any unnecessary travel and to remain in your home as much as possible. Though we have made some progress in testing efforts and tracing contacts of infected individuals, a vaccine has not been developed, and the virus can still be deadly for vulnerable members of our community.”