Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins announced the opening of two new COVID-19 test sites in Westchester County. One testing site will be in Mount Vernon and another will be in Yonkers, and residents will be able to call 888-364-3065 for an appointment. Everyone is requested to reach out by phone, rather than walking-in, so proper precautions can be taken to protect everyone’s health and avoid accidental exposure to the coronavirus.
“Every effort must be made to combat COVID-19, and that includes expanded testing,” Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said. “The two new test sites in Westchester County will help our communities better track this virus, provide more resides with the healthcare they need, and monitor potential outbreaks as we move forward with re-opening our economy. I thank Governor Cuomo for listening and recognizing the need for these two test sites, and I appreciated working with Mayor Patterson-Howard and Mayor Spano, and my colleagues in the Senate and Assembly to move this forward. I will continue to work with my colleagues in local and state government to protect our residents and recover from this pandemic.”
Senator Jamaal Bailey said, “I am thrilled to learn that the City of Mount Vernon will be getting a testing site. Mount Vernon, a majority-minority City, has been one of the hardest hit cities in Westchester with COVID-19. Its location on the border of New York City and other hot spot cities in Westchester, leaves Mount Vernon residents at a high risk of contracting the virus. With this new testing site, Mount Vernon residents will now be able to get ahead of the curve and expand their testing capabilities. I would like to thank Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard and my colleagues in government for advocating for this site, Governor Andrew Cuomo, the State Department of Health, and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins for approving this request.”
Senator Alessandra Biaggi said, “The City of Mount Vernon has been devastated by the impact of COVID-19. Within just four square miles lives over 70,000 residents, and though density is not the sole factor, it is certainly one strong reason why the City has some of the highest numbers of confirmed cases in Westchester County. The implementation of a walk-thru testing facility will save lives, not only because it is a critical tool for the monitoring of this outbreak, but because we must not forget that many communities have residents without access to a car, and therefore cannot make use of existing drive-through testing sites. I have deep gratitude for the collaboration of my colleagues in government, as well as our community partners in obtaining this site, and am inspired by the continued commitment to secure the resources Mount Vernon needs to survive this pandemic.”
Senator Shelley B. Mayer said, “Thank you to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins for her tireless advocacy on behalf of Yonkers’ residents. Working with Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Office, Leader Stewart-Cousins ensured that Yonkers residents living in the zip code of highest case concentration would have a testing site conveniently located on Ashburton Avenue. It is crucial to have accessible and widely available testing in all of our communities, particularly those with the greatest number of cases. Thank you to Governor Andrew Cuomo, my friend and colleague Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and the healthcare workers at the frontlines of this crisis.”
Assemblymember Gary Pretlow said, “This is an important first step towards ensuring our residents have access to the testing needed to confront the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m thankful to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Mayors Patterson-Howard and Spano, and Governor Cuomo for their partnership in making this happen.”
Assemblymember Nader Sayegh said, “I’d like to thank Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Commissioner Zucker from the New York State Department of Health and Governor Cuomo for collaborating to help Yonkers obtain this hard-fought test site. We must continue making use of all available resources to mitigate the spread of this contagion in our most densely populated and vulnerable communities.”
Senator Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and State Senators and Assemblymembers representing these communities worked closely with state and local officials to establish the two new COVID-19 test sites. Anyone who would like to set up an appointment is encouraged to call 888-364-3065. Over 220,000 New Yorkers, including nearly 22,000 Westchester residents, have tested positive for COVID-19. For more information about the coronavirus outbreak, please visit the State Department of Health and Westchester County Department of Health websites.
