From Essex County Executive DiVincenzo’s Office:
For Appointments, Visit www.EssexCOVID.org or Call 973-324-9950
Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. announced that Essex County is expanding its COVID-19 testing initiative to include satellite testing sites throughout the County in addition to continuing to operate its drive through testing center in Weequahic Park. The satellite sites will offer saliva tests and will begin on Thursday, May 21st; the Weequahic Park site will continue to offer nasal swab testing. The tests are by appointment only and are being offered to Essex County residents free of charge. To make an appointment, please visit www.EssexCovid.org or call 973-324-9950.
“Unfortunately, Essex County leads the state in the number of deaths caused by the Coronavirus. Our fight against this deadly disease is far from over and we must remain vigilant and aggressive to combat it. Testing is a critical tool that will tell us exactly how widespread the virus is and who has been infected. Whether you are exhibiting symptoms of the Coronavirus or not, we encourage residents to make an appointment and get tested,” DiVincenzo said. “We want to make it as easy as possible for Essex residents to have access to testing. The Weequahic site has been hugely successful and offering other satellite testing sites will make getting tested more convenient,” he added.
“The primary focus of our county leadership during the Coronavirus pandemic has been keeping our residents healthy and safe. Establishing COVID-19 Satellite Testing Sites, and bringing testing access to different areas of Essex County, is an important step in protecting the health of our residents and our communities. Widespread testing is crucial to stopping the spread of the virus, and our Satellite Testing sites will be of significant help in this regard. I thank our County Administration, and our health professionals, for their hard work in implementing this latest COVID-19 testing initiative,” Freeholder President Brendan Gill said.
“Our COVID-19 testing site in Weequahic Park has successfully provided Essex County residents with local access to testing. Through the hard work of our County leadership, and our health professionals, our Satellite Testing Sites will now provide us with the ability to bring COVID-19 testing to multiple municipalities throughout the county. It is clear that expanding our testing capabilities is the proper course of action, and I thank and congratulate our leadership for their tireless work in putting this together. Lastly, I implore all of our residents to take advantage of the Satellite Testing Sites and get themselves tested,” Freeholder Vice President Wayne Richardson said.
As of Monday, May 18th, Essex County has the highest number of COVID-19-related deaths in New Jersey with 1,550 and the third highest number of positive cases with 16,712. Bergen and Hudson Counties have more positive cases than Essex.
Satellite Testing will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. at the following locations:
- Thursday, May 21st, Essex Golf Center, 600 Eagle Rock Avenue, Roseland. 200 appointments will be available.
- Tuesday, May 26th, Essex County Public Works-Fleet Maintenance, 99 West Bradford Avenue, Cedar Grove. 200 appointments will be available.
- Thursday, May 28th, Essex County Richard J. Codey Arena, 560 Northfield Avenue, West Orange. 250 appointments will be available.
- Additional dates will be announced.
The Weequahic Park testing site will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 noon on Wednesdays, May 20th and 27th; and Fridays, May 22nd and 29th. (No testing will be done on Memorial Day, May 25th.) Additional dates will be added in June.
Testing is available to all Essex County residents whether they are showing symptoms of the virus or are asymptomatic. Residents are encouraged to get retested if they have taken the swab or saliva tests 14 days ago or more and have received negative test results.
To make an appointment, residents should visit www.EssexCOVID.org or call 973-324-9950. They will be required to complete a short questionnaire. When finished, they will be provided with an appointment time and a confirmation number. Residents should bring the confirmation number with them. They are asked to arrive 15 minutes before their scheduled appointment. Residents taking the COVID-19 saliva test should not eat, drink, smoke or chew gum 30 minutes prior to arrival.
Essex County opened its COVID-19 testing center in Weequahic Park on March 26th and has been conducting nasal swab testing on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. As of May 12th, 4,901 tests have been administered in Weequahic Park with 1,839 of those tests being positive.
