About a hundred healthcare workers, supported by uniformed members of the national guard, were preparing to open a significant new coronavirus testing station Wednesday near Bear Mountain, New York, 30 miles from the site of one of the country’s biggest coronavirus clusters in Westchester county.
The Anthony Wayne recreation area, a large parking lot for suburban commuters on the Palisades Parkway, has converted over two days into a medical installation as part of the state’s drive to expand testing Covid-19 capabilities using public and private labs.
Hundreds of cars in the staff parking area and a deployment of national guard signaled that authorities are anticipating significant public traffic when the site opens later on Wednesday. Signs advised visitors to stay in their vehicles and keep their vehicle windows closed.
The testing station advises anyone showing positive symptoms to schedule an appointment through their healthcare provider. State officials have said that 1,692 new tests are being conducted, bringing the total to 7,026 since the outbreak began.
Rockland county, where the testing station is located, is adjacent to New Rochelle in Westchester on the west side of the Hudson river, where a number of infections were transmitted by a patient who had returned from South Korea.
As of Tuesday, Westchester was the second-hardest-hit county in the state, with 380 positive cases, after New York itself, which has a reported 644 positive cases.
Rockland county, has seen a significant uptick of coronavirus infections, with 31 positive cases as of Monday and two deaths. Overall, New York state has seen 221 newly confirmed cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the statewide total to 1,374.
On Monday, the county joined others nearby declaring a state of emergency, ordered schools to close and banned hoarding. The emergency declaration is in effect for 30 days – through 15 April.
The new Bear Mountain drive-through testing station comes as the state, with the largest number of cases after Washington, plans to increase the number of intensive care beds available.
The governor said on Tuesday that New York needs to expand intensive care, or ICU, bed capacity more than 10 times. He called on federal agencies for help and for hospital managements to think of innovative ways to meet mounting needs.
