EAST ORANGE – In response to the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases and a surge in access to testing, Mayor Ted R. Green, the East Orange City Council and the Department of Health and Human Services, under the direction of Director Dr. Monique S. Griffith, will partner with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to open a federal testing site in East Orange, operating from Saturday, January 1, 2022 until January 12, 2022.
The site will be part of the CDC’s Increasing Community Access to Testing for COVID-19 Surge Response Effort, which teams up with pharmacies and labs to provide free tests in underserved communities.
The testing site will be located at 90 Halsted Street in the city’s Division of Senior Service’s Multi-Purpose Room and will offer testing for New Jersey residents up to seven days per week from 7am – 5pm. The site will have the capacity to administer up to 1,000 rapid, nasal PCR tests per day with results being provided in approximately 24 hours.
“We will utilize every resource that is made available to help combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus in our communities,” said Mayor Green. “We want to make testing more accessible and convenient for residents, and thanks to the ongoing support of the federal government, we have been provided the means to make that possible.”
On Wednesday, December 22, Mayor Green re-implemented a mask mandate for the City of East Orange amid the increase of COVID-19 cases and the emergence of the Omicron variant. To date, East Orange has a total of 10,908 positive cases, with 255 new cases reported this week, and one new death. The city is only second in Essex County behind the City of Newark in its number of positive cases.
“The new Omicron variant is spreading more easily, and our numbers of positive cases are rising rapidly,” said Dr. Griffith. “The last two years have impacted us all greatly, but with the recent increase in positive cases, as well as hospitalizations, we cannot get tired or minimize what is occurring. The pandemic is real and we have to remain diligent in our efforts to engage all resources and partners to stop the spread. We’ve come too far to not see this through.”
Free parking will be available at a main lot at Freeway Drive and Halsted Street with overflow parking available in two additional adjacent lots. EOPD and other partnering agencies will direct traffic control to keep the flow moving as efficiently and safely as possible.
For questions, more information about the federal COVID-19 testing site, or to schedule an appointment, please visit www.eovaccine.org.
