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COVID-19 Testing: Who Can Get It and How?

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Thursday no one has to pay out of pocket if they get tested for COVID-19, but who can be tested and how does the process go?

It was only days ago passengers on a Princess cruise took in beautiful views from San Francisco to Mexico. Now many are left wondering if they came into contact with coronavirus in any way.

"It was very disturbing," a cruise ship passenger said.

That prompted a phone call to CBS13 from a Stockton woman who says she was on the cruise and wanted to be tested after she heard the news a man who died from the virus was also on board. She didn't want to be identified.

READ ALSO: How Quick Is Coronavirus Spreading? Health Officials Discuss Risk And Protection

"I did put in a call to my personal doctor and I tried to call the health department but there was over an hour wait," she said.

CBS13 contacted her local Department of Health as instructed by the state, which says each situation is handled on a case-by-case basis.

CBS13 didn't hear back from a nurse by the end of the workday but was told by a spokesperson earlier Thursday that if a person is not showing symptoms, they should be clear by Friday.

Though a health expert told CBS13 it's still possible a person can carry coronavirus and spread it, even without symptoms.

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