Free COVID Tests, 'Contact Tracing' Start In Bloomfield: UPDATED

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Bloomfield has kicked off a free coronavirus testing program for local residents, as well as an effort to “contact trace” the disease’s footprints in the township.

On Thursday, the township held a testing clinic at Vasser Field, the first in an ongoing series (see future dates below).

According to Bloomfield officials, testing will only be open to Bloomfield residents, and an appointment must be made with the Bloomfield Health Department by calling 973-680-4057. (Learn more here)

Officials released an update Thursday afternoon, calling the first day of testing a "great success."

The township has scheduled six additional testing dates to ensure that any resident that would like to be tested is able to do so.

To make an appointment to be tested, residents can call the Bloomfield Health Department at 973-680-4057. Testing is open only to Bloomfield residents and by appointment only. Each testing session will be open from 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Upcoming testing dates and locations include:

• Tuesday, June 9, June 16 and June 23 - St. Thomas School/Vasser Park

• Thursday, June 11, June 18 - Watsessing School

• Saturday, June 13 - Municipal Lot

“It was great to see our first day of testing go so well,” Mayor Michael Venezia said. “Our Health Department has done an excellent job keeping the community safe during this crisis and that includes helping to set up these testing sites. The process of getting tested is quick and easy so, if you have concerns that you may have COVID-19, you should make an appointment with our health department.”

CONTACT TRACING

The township is also contact tracing people who test positive for COVID-19, which will entail “retracing a person's steps leading up to the positive diagnosis and reaching out to all people that may have been exposed to them.”

When a person tests positive, the health department will contact that person by phone to begin the contact tracing interview process. The interview in total should take between 10 and 15 minutes, officials said.

Bloomfield officials added:

“All information is kept confidential and residents are strongly encouraged to share information to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 cases in the community. Citizenship information will not be discussed as part of the interview process.”

Officials continued:

“To prevent possible scams, residents should be aware that they will never be asked for a social security number or bank information. The Bloomfield nursing and investigation team will always identify themselves by name and explain that they are calling from the Bloomfield Department of Health and Human Services. Anyone that suspects someone is attempting to scam them should contact the Bloomfield Police Department’s non-emergency number at 973-680-4141.”

“Making sure that we quickly identify positive cases in our community and figure out who those people were in contact with is key for us to flatten the curve,” Venezia said. “That is why starting Thursday, we will begin to test residents free of charge at various locations in town and anyone that does test positive will be interviewed right away.”

As of Wednesday morning, Bloomfield had seen 1,055 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, with 63 deaths linked to the disease, according to Essex County’s latest tally.

Health Director Karen Lore said the contact tracing process, combined with increased testing, is the best way to stop the spread of COVID-19 in Bloomfield.

“The interview doesn’t take much time and we ask that any residents that test positive cooperate with our tracers,” Lore said.

READ MORE: NJ Coronavirus Updates (Here's What You Need To Know)

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