NEW PALTZ – County Executive Pat Ryan announced that New York State will open a state run COVID-19 community testing site on the campus of SUNY New Paltz starting this week. The announcement from the State comes after County Executive Ryan requested a facility open in Ulster County to bolster access to critically-needed tests for residents in the midst of the current surge in cases. The state-run testing site will complement the over 50,000 free at-home rapid kits that Ulster County has already distributed to residents throughout the county.
“Based on the surge we have seen driven by the Omicron variant, and as part of our proactive plan to make testing more readily available in the county, we requested this week that New York State activate a testing site in Ulster County,” County Executive Pat Ryan said. “I want to thank Governor Kathy Hochul and her team for the rapid response, and for her strong leadership during the pandemic. This site will help ensure that our residents have access to critically-needed testing so we can keep our residents healthy, and continue to keep our schools and businesses open safely.”
Last week, Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan signed a thirty-day extension of the State of Emergency order he originally enacted on November 28th. The extension of the order comes as cases of COVID-19 in Ulster County, driven by the Omicron variant, have more than doubled in the last month. The order, now in effect for an additional thirty days, has allowed Ulster County to rapidly procure over 50,000 at-home kits, bolster countywide vaccination efforts, and secure a second school specialist from the State to assist with contact tracing.
The SUNY New Paltz Community Testing Site is anticipated to open to the public sometime this week. Information regarding hours and appointments for the state run testing site will be announced soon. For additional information regarding vaccines, boosters, and testing, please visit VaccinateUlster.com.