As New York inches closer towards expanding its reopening, Governor Andrew Cuomo is urging residents to take advantage of the state's increased capacity for testing.
The state has long prioritized data gathering and testing for the novel coronavirus as being crucial to its reopening. While tests were scarce early on in the crisis, as the state has built up its ability to test, residents with cold or flu-like symptoms are encouraged to get tested, as well as those who are preparing to go back to work.
There are now 700 drive-in and walk-in testing sites statewide. Gov. Cuomo says conducting more tests will provide the state with helpful data when it comes to tracing the virus and containing new outbreaks.
"There's no reason why people shouldn't be testing," Cuomo said. "If you have any symptoms, get a test."
In addition to those with symptoms or those who have come into contact with someone with the virus, people who work in industries restarting in Phase 1 of the state's reopening are now eligible for a test.
As of Tuesday morning when Western New York enters Phase 1, six inter-county regions of New York will have begun reopening. New York City is expected to enter Phase 1 in early-June.
Confirmed coronavirus infections, hospitalizations, ICU admissions, intubations and deaths continued trending downward over the weekend. The governor said on Friday that the state expects coronavirus numbers to go up as reopening moves forward; the key is being able to respond to new outbreaks.
New Yorkers can find out if they are eligible for a test and schedule an appointment here.
Cuomo says the state is doing about 40,000 tests per day but has the capacity for 80,000 to 90,000 tests per day. The nasal swab takes only seconds to perform and results are available in 24 - 48 hours.
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