TechCity test site shutting down
Nuvance shifts service to medical offices; other mobile operations will remain open
The coronavirus mobile testing site at TechCity in the town of Ulster will close on June 30, and Nuvance/HealthQuest, which operates it, instead will offer testing at medical offices, Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan said Friday.
Since the site opened on March 23, some 7,500 tests have been conducted there, Ryan said. In total, he said, 33,000 Ulster County residents have been tested for the virus that causes COVID-19.
Ryan said Nuvance will provide testing at its HealthQuest Medical Practice locations in Ulster County for existing patients. Those practices are at 1240 Ulster Ave. (U.S. Route 9W) in the town of Ulster; Kingston Plaza; 514 Route 299 in Lloyd; 2044 Route 32 in Modena; 404 Zena Road in Woodstock; and
4080 Route 28 in Boiceville.
Anyone who is not a HealthQuest patient can seek testing at the Vassar Diagnostic Lab at the Hudson Valley Mall in the town of Ulster, Ryan said.
“Adding a mobile testing site just two weeks after our first confirmed case of COVID-19 undoubtedly saved countless lives,” Ryan said in a prepared statement. He said the “public health situation has greatly improved,” but “we must continue to remain vigilant.”
He stressed the need to “adhere to social-distancing protocols and wear masks in order to avoid a second wave” of the virus.
The other two mobile testing sites in Ulster County — on Grand Street in Kingston, operated by HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley; and at Ellenville Hospital — will continue to operate, Ryan said. Testing also remains available at CareMount Medical, Emergency One, Rite Aid and CVS locations. Additional information can be found online at bit.ly/uc-testing.
In Dutchess County, coronavirus and viral antibody testing are available at all open CareMount Urgent Care locations; MidHudson Regional Hospital, 241 North Road, Poughkeepsie (drive-thru); the Intermodal Center at Dutchess Stadium, state Route 9D, Fishkill; Pulse-MD Urgent Care, 696 Dutchess Turnpike, Poughkeepsie; and Rite Aid, 709 Main St., Poughkeepsie. Additional information can be found online at bit. ly/dc-testing.
During a Facebook Live event Friday, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro said he intends to keep testing access in the county “robust.”
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In other local coronavirus-related news:
• The Pyramid Corp., which owns the Poughkeepsie Galleria, is keeping up its opposition to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo saying malls, theaters and gyms cannot immediately welcome back customers when a region of the state enters Phase 4 of the reopening process. Pyramid, in a statement, called the decision “both unfair and unjustified.”
In a conference call with reporters Friday, Cuomo said the state is “still looking into the science and information” related to opening those businesses.
On Wednesday, he said that, in other states, “those venues have caused problems … [and] it’s logical to suggest if you see a problem in other states that you explore it before moving forward.”
Phase 4, which the MidHudson Region could enter as soon as July 7, was supposed to be the New York’s final step in the process of reopening from coronavirus-related shutdowns, but the governor’s directive about malls, gyms and theaters suggests otherwise. And large gatherings, including concerts and sporting events that attract thousands of people, still are on hold.
Pyramid is taking issue with Cuomo’s contention that heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems in malls, theaters and gyms could help spread the virus.
“The primary reason being used for mall closures is that air-circulation systems could circulate the coronavirus,” Pyramid said in its statement “If that is the case, why are freestanding restaurants, barbershops, office buildings, museums and large retailers allowed to remain open? The fresh air circulation and filtration systems we have in place are as good or better . ... Why are we being treated differently and inequitably?”
Cuomo said the state Department of Health is working to determine whether changes to HVAC filtration can be made “that will filter out the virus.”