Kingsbridge COVID testing site faces setback after rush to get more testing locations open

The Omicron surge now has city officials stepping up efforts to stop the spread of the virus throughout the five boroughs, but it's not all running smoothly.

News 12 Staff

Dec 21, 2021, 11:15 AM

Updated 1,024 days ago

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The Omicron surge now has city officials stepping up efforts to stop the spread of the virus throughout the five boroughs, but it's not all running smoothly.
A Bronx testing site in Kingsbridge took three hours to get up and running properly Tuesday morning. The city's website says it was supposed to open at 7 a.m., but operations didn't get underway until 7:45 a.m. Then tests were being done from the passenger seat of the car and then the sidewalk. Operations started to run smoothly by 10 a.m.
The Department of Health says the site was set to open at 7:30 a.m. despite what the website had listed and that it will be adding signage to make the site easier to find. It also noted that the testing is now being done inside a tent because the heat is up and running. Moving forward, the department says it will run out of that spot.
The testing location in Kingsbridge is set to run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. while closing early on Christmas Eve and fully closing on Christmas Day.
The mayor says New York City could see even more testing sites soon. The mayor is hoping to ease some of the lines by adding 23 sites for a total of 112 city-run sites across the five boroughs.
Almost 7,000 people across the city reportedly got their first dose of the vaccine and over 25,000 people received their second dose Monday. This makes over 6 million living in the city fully vaccinated.