Visitors to the Binghamton University campus are now greeted by white tents filling several of BU’s parking lots, after the University was designated as a drive-thru coronavirus testing site for Broome County.
The site is one of several being opened in the upstate New York region, according to the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and the Office of the Governor.
Testing will be available for free, seven days per week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and is only available through appointment. An individual must fit certain criteria to get tested, according to the New York State Department of Health.
If an individual has been in close contact with someone with COVID-19, is immunocompromised, has an underlying health condition, is elderly with a history of illness or has endured any specific circumstance that warrants testing, that individual fits the criteria. Another factor to get tested is being an essential worker, according to Ryan Yarosh, BU’s senior director of media and public relations.
“The state expanded diagnostic testing criteria to include all first responders, health care workers and essential employees even if they aren’t symptomatic,” Yarosh wrote in an email. “These individuals in our community, including those on campus, will be able to get tested for COVID-19 at these new drive-thru facilities.”
The front of the Events Center and Lots F, F1, F3 and part of Lot H will be closed for parking and instead opened for drive-thru testing. If an individual feels they fit the criteria and wish to get tested at BU, they can schedule an appointment by calling 888-364-3065 or visiting the NYSDOH website.