COVID Testing In Belleville, Fairfield, East Orange, Bloomfield

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — As of Friday, Essex County had the highest number of coronavirus-related deaths in New Jersey. However, county officials are hoping that a series of testing events in Bloomfield, Fairfield, East Orange and Belleville will help decrease that total.

Essex County will be running COVID-19 testing events at the following locations from 4 to 6:30 p.m., with more dates to be announced:

• Tuesday, June 16, Bloomfield (Essex County Brookdale Park) - Enter off Watchung Avenue, Lower Parking Lot
• Wednesday, June 17, Fairfield (Community Pool) - 306 Big Piece Road, Fairfield
• Thursday, June 18, East Orange (Essex County Economic Development Center) - 50 South Clinton Street, East Orange (enter on South Burnet Street)
• Tuesday, June 23, Belleville (High School) - 100 Passaic Avenue

The county will also continue its testing site at Weequahic Park in Newark from 9 a.m. to noon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during June.

The tests are by appointment only and are being offered to Essex County residents free of charge. To make an appointment, please visit www.EssexCovid.org or call 973-324-9950.

According to county officials:

“Essex County residents with or without symptoms are encouraged to get tested. Residents age 13 and older are welcome to get tested. Residents are encouraged to get retested if they have taken the swab or saliva tests 14 days ago or more and have received negative test results. Testing is provided free of charge; health insurance is not required. To make an appointment, residents should visit www.EssexCOVID.org or call 973-324-9950. They will be required to complete a short questionnaire. When finished, they will be provided with an appointment time and a confirmation number. Residents should bring the confirmation number with them. They are asked to arrive 15 minutes before their scheduled appointment. Residents taking the COVID-19 saliva test should not eat, drink, smoke or chew gum 30 minutes prior to arrival.”

As of Friday, June 12, Essex County has the highest number of COVID-19-related deaths in New Jersey with 1,733 and the third highest number of positive cases with 18,268. Bergen and Hudson Counties have more positive cases than Essex.

“Our fight against this deadly disease is far from over and we must remain vigilant and aggressive to combat it,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said. “Testing is a critical tool that will tell us exactly how widespread the virus is and who has been infected. Whether you are exhibiting symptoms of the coronavirus or not, we encourage residents to make an appointment and get tested.”

“We want to make it as easy as possible for Essex residents to have access to testing,” DiVincenzo added. “The Weequahic site has been hugely successful and offering other satellite testing sites will make getting tested more convenient.”

Freeholder Vice President Wayne Richardson said the satellite testing sites will now provide the county with the ability to bring COVID-19 testing to multiple municipalities.

“It is clear that expanding our testing capabilities is the proper course of action, and I thank and congratulate our leadership for their tireless work in putting this together,” Richardson said. “I implore all of our residents to take advantage of the satellite testing sites and get themselves tested.”

“The primary focus of our county leadership during the coronavirus pandemic has been keeping our residents healthy and safe,” Freeholder President Brendan Gill said. “Widespread testing is crucial to stopping the spread of the virus, and our satellite testing sites will be of significant help in this regard.”

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