Drive-thru COVID-19 testing
sites will be closing across the state as New York is lifting most of its
coronavirus restrictions.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced
the closures Tuesday.
Glen Island Park in New Rochelle was the state's first drive thru
testing site to open in March 2020 when COVID really took off in the Hudson Valley.
At that time, New Rochelle was the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic
in New York. The National Guard was brought in as a containment zone was set up
around certain areas of the city.
And getting tested for COVID-19
meant a long wait and long lines, then waiting again for results.
Now, more than a year later, New York has hit its 70% vaccination goal
and officials say the state has reached an historically low COVID-19 positivity
rate. Plus, they say the demand for drive-thru testing has dropped about 88%
from January to May.
As a result, drive-thru
testing sites all across the state will be closing starting with the Anthony
Wayne Rec Area in Rockland County which shuts down this Friday. That will be
followed by the one at Monroe County Community College and Glen Island Park
next Friday, June 25.