Lawmakers Call On Hochul To Open New East End Testing Sites

EAST END, NY — As the number of new cases of COVID-19 continue to surge in Suffolk County, lawmakers are urging Gov. Kathy Hocul to open new testing sites on the East End.

New York State Senator Anthony Palumbo, New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele, and New York State Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio called on Hochul to open state testing sites on the East End, to meet the rapidly growing demand and a shortage of home testing kits in local pharmacies.

“The state is putting testing sites throughout New York and in Nassau County, yet to date; no state testing sites have been announced in eastern Suffolk," Palumbo said.

The lack of testing sites, he said, is concerning with numbers continuing to increase and the region’s inability to keep up with testing demands.

"As we learned from previous surges, it is critically important to ensure that residents from Montauk and Orient to Brookhaven Town have access to testing a reasonable distance from their homes," Palumbo said.

Thiele added that as the omicron variant spreads across the nation, the number of new cases in New York State has increased exponentially.

"Suffolk County has some of the highest rates of infection in the state," he said. "Testing remains one of the most important weapons in our arsenal to fight the virus."

Residents from eastern Suffolk are entitled to the same access to testing as all New Yorkers, he said, adding that Long Island's unique geography requires special consideration.

"Residents, especially seniors, cannot be expected to travel an hour or more to western Suffolk to access a state-sponsored testing site," Thiele said.

Giglio also spoke out: “Imploring individuals to be tested while requiring them to travel over an hour to do so, does not serve to reduce COVID-19 diagnosis and transmission rates on Long Island," she said. "Our East End residents deserve the same testing availability as our neighbors to the west, for their safety, and for the safety of their families, neighbors, and co-workers."