With more than 6,200 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the Bronx, elected officials launched a new testing site on the morning of March 30.
Governor Andrew Cuomo, Speaker Carl Heastie, Senator Jamaal Bailey and Assemblyman Michael Benedetto introduced the testing site for the North East Bronx at 2210 Bartow Ave in Co-op City.
“Our main strategy to slow the spread of this virus has been to increase testing and reduce density in every community across the state,” Cuomo said. “The multiple drive-through mobile testing facilities we have created are helping keep people out of hospitals and other healthcare facilities where they could potentially infect other people or get sick themselves, while increasing our testing capacity…”
The mobile testing center will be located in the parking lot of the Bay Plaza AMC Theater at 2210 Bartow Ave. The site will prioritize tests for individuals that are among the highest risk population. Residents who would like to be tested must make an appointment by calling 888-364-3065. There will be no walk-ins allowed and all patients must be in a vehicle. The center is slated to be operational on Monday, March 30, 2020 at 10 a.m. Site hours will be Monday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Bailey commended his colleagues for making this site happen and hopes that anyone with symptoms takes advantage of the site.
“As you all know Co-Op City is a unique community, full of individuals who may be at high risk from symptoms related to COVID-19,” Bailey said. “Most notably, Co-Op’s senior citizen population, as it is the largest Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC) in the country and a densely populated area with well over 50,000 residents.”
