Gloucester County To Host Coronavirus Test Site As Cases Spike

GLOUCESTER COUNTY, NJ — For the first time since June, Gloucester County will open a coronavirus drive-thru test site as the number of cases in the county continues to climb.

Testing will take place Thursday at the Clayton Complex, 1200 North Delsea Drive in Clayton. Testing begins at 9 a.m. and those who wish to be tested must make an appointment.

The number of coronavirus cases in Gloucester County has increased by nearly 1,000 each of the past two months.

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By Tuesday, the county had reached 4,417 cases and 219 confirmed deaths. The county reported 35 new cases and two confirmed deaths on Tuesday. Trace investigations are underway in all new cases.

That was up from Aug. 21, when Gloucester County reported 3,525 cases and 213 confirmed deaths. On July 21, there were 2,868 cases reported. There was only an increase of about 400 cases each of the previous two months, from May to June and from June to July.

As of Tuesday, Gloucester County has conducted 58,117 total tests. Of these cases, 53,700 have come back negative.

Camden County has also seen an increase in recent days, and Freeholder Jonathan Young said it may be due in part to students going back to school. In fact, the number of cases has increased as the number of cases at Rowan University in Glassboro has gone up.

The number of coronavirus cases at Rowan University has jumped from 54 to358 since Aug. 25, according to the university. Out of those cases, 215 have been diagnosed among students who are living off campus, and 141 are among students living on campus. Four employees have also tested positive.

Young said increases may also be due to relaxed precautions on the part of residents, as well as increased gatherings from the Labor Day Weekend.

"We've consistently seen cases increase after holidays," Young said. "You can't take a day off from COVID-19 because COVID-19 doesn't take a day off."

Statewide, a recent spike in cases has pushed New Jersey past 200,000 cases of the coronavirus, but officials are saying this doesn’t indicate a second wave. Read more here: NJ: No Second Wave Of Coronavirus Yet Despite Recent Case Spike

Gloucester County residents 18 years old and older who want to be tested must call 856-218-0300 to be prescreened by Rowan Medicine. Residents do not need to be symptomatic to receive testing. Call takers will be available to schedule appointments:

• Monday and Thursday: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Saturday: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Callers should have their insurance information ready when they call. Once they are prescreened, an appointment time will be scheduled.

The site is a partnership between the county, Rowan University and Rowan Medicine, the Gloucester County Department of Health and the Gloucester County Office of Emergency Management.

The testing site is open to eligible Gloucester County residents only. Proof of residency, such as a passport or driver’s license, is required. For more information on Gloucester County’s response to COVID-19, visit www.gloucestercountynj.gov/alerts or call 856-218-4101.

See related: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know