Sean Penn wants to set a ''loud, visible example'' with his coronavirus tests.

The 59-year-old actor recently revealed his nonprofit organisation CORE (Community Organised Relief Effort) is set to provide free drive-through test sites to determine if people are suffering with COVID-19.

And he has now claimed his decision to set up testing centres comes as he wants to set an example for ''what others can do'' to make testing easier and more affordable for people.

Speaking on 'CBS This Morning', he said: ''This is right now an active shooter scenario, the virus is. And its principal focus is on people of colour, the elderly, the indigenous. But it doesn't really care who else is in the way.

''Our biggest ambition is to be the, or one of the, models that's replicable. This is not like building a business where you have ambitions of being number one. The idea is to, as quickly as possible, be a loud, visible example of what others can do. We need a really accurate picture of how much testing is happening nationally.''

Previously, the 'Mystic River' star said he was keen to get ''vulnerable'' people tested as soon as possible.

He explained: ''You want to get the most vulnerable, those that make us most vulnerable and those that are most essential be they symptomatic or not.

''As an opinion, if you can get tested, you should get tested.''

CORE has been supported by Governor Gavin Newsom for the new initiative, and Sean - who explained the test is ''diagnostic'' - revealed he has taken a test himself which came back ''negative''.

He added: ''My answer is negative.

''If we're not moved by the wife who lost her husband, the single mother who lost her job and is now taking care of three kids in her room in quarantine ...

''These things enter my brain like little moving greeting cards ... I think a little rage here and there puts a little gas in the engine.''