Putnam Test Sites suspend operations during cold spell

PUTNAM COUNTY, NY — Due to freezing weather, the two testing sites in Putnam County were closed Monday and will remain closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

County health officials opened rapid testing sites after Christmas. The sites at the Paladin Center in Carmel and the Philisptown Recreation Center have been extremely busy, county officials said Friday. From Dec. 27 to Jan. 4, 4,581 people were tested at the two drive-thru sites and 810, or just over 17 percent, were positive.

“I am impressed with how efficiently these sites are run,” said Rep. Amy Sayegh, chair of the health committee, in a press release. “Hundreds of people come every day, yet the lines keep moving and people are treated with respect and compassion.”

According to the county dashboard, there were 3,416 active cases in Putnam as of Jan. 5, a 71 percent increase from the previous week. The number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 increased from 20 to 26.

As of yesterday, the county’s 7-day average rate is 21.3 percent, New York authorities said.

Since Halloween, the number of hospitalizations for COVID-19 has skyrocketed across the Hudson Valley.

When Putnam’s drive-thru testing sites reopen, they should be open during their regular hours: 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. weekdays for school children and school district staff, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week for all other Putnam County residents. They will be operated under an expanded public-private partnership with Ambulnz, the county’s new emergency response service.

This article originally appeared on New City Patch