Essex County will open a drive-thru testing site for Essex County residents who are symptomatic of COVID-19 in Essex County Weequahic Park, Newark, starting Thursday, March 26 and Saturday, March 28 when 100 tests per day will be administered. It will then be open next week Monday, Wednesday and Friday when 150 tests per day will be administered each day.
The testing site is for Essex County residents and appointments are mandatory.
Residents must arrive by car.
The screenings are being offered to Essex County residents only who are symptomatic of COVID-19. This means anyone wishing to be tested musty meet specific testing criteria, which includes a fever of at least 99.6º and respiratory symptoms of shortness of breath.
Appointments will be scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Those who do not meet the criteria will not receive an appointment. If you are exhibiting severe symptoms, please contact your local health care provider or local health department for guidance.
Residents may visit www.EssexCOVID.org, where they will be required to complete a short screening process before an appointment is scheduled. Residents will be asked several health-related questions and detail any symptoms they have related to the coronavirus.
Upon completion of the survey, they will be informed if they are eligible for the screening.
If they are eligible, a confirmation number will be provided; residents must bring the confirmation number with them to their appointment.
If someone does not have internet access, they can register by calling the Essex County Office of Emergency Management at 973-324-9950. The call-in center will be open form 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. An operator will help them complete the initial survey and issue the confirmation number. Residents must bring the confirmation number with them to their appointment.
Tests are being offered free of charge to Essex County residents. Having health insurance is not a requirement. Follow up contact will be made to assess the continuing health of the person who completed the screening.
Medical personnel from RWJBarnabas Health System, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, University Hospital, Hackensack Hospital, Essex County Hospital and nurses from public schools in Essex County are staffing the testing site and call-in center.
Security at the site will be provided by the Essex County Sheriff’s Office and the Newark Police Department.
Essex County will continue to administer the virus screening as long as supplies of test kits, gowns, facial masks and gloves are available.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, a place where he has served on and off since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on Facebook Live, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to West Hudson to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.