By Kevin Deutsch
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A new coronavirus testing site is slated to open in the Bronx Monday, authorities said.
The drive-up testing center will be located behind the Bay Plaza AMC Theater at 2210 Bartow Avenue in Co-Op City.
The facility will operate by appointment only from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week. To schedule, local residents should call 888-364-3065.
“Our main strategy to slow the spread of this virus has been to increase testing and reduce density in every community across the state,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement announcing the new facility, which will prioritize high-risk patients.
“Co-Op City in the Bronx is home to a high number of vulnerable New Yorkers, and locating a new drive-through facility in this area will help protect those residents and give them a safer place to test for COVID-19,” Cuomo said.
The site is a short walk from Co-Op City, the nation’s largest affordable housing complex. The sprawling property houses about 35,000 people.
As of Sunday morning, there were 6,145 people with confirmed coronvirus infections in the Bronx—an increase of 393 from the day before, city officials said.
So far, 153 people have died from COVID-19 in the Bronx.