Commissioners extend coronavirus emergency
NORRISTOWN » A COVID-19 emergency disaster declaration was extended again by Montgomery County commissioners during their meeting last Thursday.
The order was first established March 8, according to the proclamation. Officials cited “widespread outbreak of coronavirus that overwhelmed first responders, healthcare providers and businesses within Montgomery County.”
It was extended in April and again in June. The new order is expected to begin Saturday and will be in effect for 45 days, according to the order.
The legislation instructs the county’s Office of Public Health and the Department of Public Safety “to coordinate the activities of the emergency response; to take all appropriate action needed to alleviate the effects of this disaster; to aid in the restoration of essential public services; and to take any other emergency response action deemed necessary to respond to this disaster emergency.”
“Instead of extending the COVID-19 disaster declaration, in my opinion, we should be taking more measures to reopen Montgomery County,” said Commissioner Joseph C. Gale, casting a lone nay vote against the extension.
Gale has repeatedly lambasted the state’s handling of the pandemic response and insisted “we should also be sending our children back to school.”
Since cases of the novel coronavirus were first reported March 7 in Montgomery County, 10,056 residents have tested positive and 823 people have died, Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairwoman Valerie Arkoosh said.
Arkoosh noted the area’s positivity rate, which means the percentage of people testing positive for the novel coronavirus on any particular day, has declined to 2.77 percent. According to Arkoosh, the peak positivity rate was around 28 percent.
In an effort to speed up the process of receiving results, Arkoosh said COVID-19 test samples will now go to MAKO Medical, “who are contractually obligated to provide us with a 36-hour turnaround time.”
According to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners’ agenda, the $16,445,076 agreement with Mako, of Raleigh, N.C., will cover laboratory testing services.
Arkoosh added that the switch became effective this week, and she anticipated the shorter turnaround would allow contact tracers to more quickly inform those who test positive and in turn others who have been exposed.
Arkoosh announced a change in location for the Willow Grove location. It has since moved, as of noon on Monday, to the First Baptist Church of Crestmont, which is located at 1678 Fairview Ave. in Willow Grove.
Additionally, the following testing sites are operating throughout the county:
• The Ardmore site is located at 114 W. Lancaster Ave. from Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and noon-2 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.
• The Green Lane site is located at 2144 Snyder Road from 4-6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and noon-2 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.
• The Lansdale site is located at 421 W. Main St. from 4-6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 12-2 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday.
• The Norristown site is located at 1401 Dekalb Pike from 10 a.m. to noon Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 3-5 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.
• The Pottstown site is located at 364 King St. from noon-2 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 4-6 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday.
Those interested must live or work in Montgomery County to qualify for a test at no cost. Appointments can be made starting at 8:30 a.m. each day online or by calling 610970-2937.
For more information about COVID-19 testing in Montgomery County, visit montcopa.org/covid-19.