essex county executive divincenzo, freeholder president gill and vice president richardson announce novel coronavirus (covid-19) screenings will continue in essex county weequahic park
Essex County, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr., Freeholder President Brendan Gill and Vice President Wayne Richardson announced that testing for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) will continue in Essex County Weequahic Park. Three additional dates have been scheduled for Monday, April 13th; Wednesday, April 15th and Friday, April 17th. Screenings are for Essex County residents only who are symptomatic of the Coronavirus and are by appointment only. They will be scheduled from 9 a.m. to 12 noon; 250 tests will be available each day. Residents must arrive by car.
After filling all of the appointments for the testing site this week, there were about 5,000 people who submitted registration and did not receive an appointment. Their information has been kept on file and those placed on the waiting list will be given an appointment to get tested at Weequahic Park in the order their registration was accepted. Residents will be provided with a confirmation number which they must bring with them to their appointment.
“We are pleased to be able to offer additional dates to allow more residents to be tested for the Coronavirus. Testing is the most effective way to determine if a person has the virus and will help us get a handle on how far-reaching it has become,” DiVincenzo, Gill and Richardson said in a joint statement. “We continue to urge our residents to take precautions to prevent the spread of the virus, which include practicing social distancing, washing their hands and staying indoors. We are in a public health crisis and the actions we take today will help reduce the virus’ impact,” they said.
The screenings are being offered to Essex County residents only who are symptomatic of COVID-19. This means anyone wishing to be tested must meet specific testing criteria, which includes a fever of at least 99.6 degrees and respiratory symptoms of shortness of breath. Appointments will be scheduled from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Those who do not meet the criteria were not given an appointment. If you are exhibiting severe symptoms, please contact your local health care provider or local health department for guidance.