PASSAIC COUNTY MOVES FROM TESTING SITE AT WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY TO EXPANDED MOBILE AND AT-HOME FREE COVID-19 TESTING

(Passaic County, New Jersey — June 19, 2020) – Being amongst one of the first counties in the nation to have a test site running, Passaic County’s COVID-19 drive-thru testing site at William Paterson University has tested over 15,000 residents since its inception in late March. The site, run completely on volunteers and county staff, offered free testing to residents, law enforcement and medical professionals in all sixteen municipalities within the county.

The county has recently expanded its free COVID-19 relief efforts by launching a mobile testing program, and an at-home testing program. The mobile testing program will continue into July, in place of the county testing site at William Paterson University, which will close down after Saturday, June 20^th.

“From the beginning, our goal has been to provide access to testing for as many residents as possible. Moreover, it was really important that testing was readily available regardless of anyone’s economic circumstances, which is why we decided to initially open free testing for residents. With the closing of the county testing facility, we will continue our mobile testing and at-home testing programs, which will continue to be free for county residents,” stated Freeholder Director Sandi Lazzara.

The pop-up mobile testing sites will be available on select dates and locations throughout the county. For residents who choose to test at home, the kits will be shipped directly to their place of residence. Once a resident registers for an at-home test, he/she will receive instructions on how to request the test kit, perform a supervised saliva collection test with a Vault healthcare provider via Zoom, and mail the specimen to the Rutgers Clinical Genomic Laboratory for processing.

“Thankfully, we’ve seen a significant decline in positive cases, and while we have helped to flatten the curve, my colleagues and I will continue to make every effort to help our diverse communities during these difficult times,” stated Freeholder Director Lazzara. “Passaic County has been a leader in testing. Our county testing site, at-home testing program, mobile testing program, food distribution program, and our new emergency grant program with the NJEDA have and will continue to benefit our residents and businesses ,” added Freeholder Director Lazzara.

For a full list of mobile testing dates and locations, or to apply for an at-home test kit, visit www.passaiccountynj.org/covid.