Belleville Offers Free COVID Tests For Service Industry Workers

BELLEVILLE, NJ — They’re the people who have been cooking food, waiting tables and working cash registers throughout the coronavirus pandemic. And helping Belleville’s service employees get free COVID-19 testing will be a win-win for everyone in the township, officials say.

On Wednesday, Belleville Mayor Michael Melham and the members of the Township Council announced that free COVID-19 testing will be offered next week to “service industry employees.”

“Although several municipalities have offered COVID-19 testing to frontline heroes such as medical staff and police and fire personnel, Belleville is among the first in New Jersey to extend free testing to the workers in the service sector,” Melham and the council stated in a joint news release.

Here’s how it works, town officials said:

“The free testing will be offered Monday, Dec. 14 to service industry employees who are Belleville residents or work in the township. Testing will be held at Belleville High School from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Preregistration is not necessary, but individuals are strongly urged to register at www.NJCovidTests.com/Belleville to cut down on the wait. Those who receive a verification code must go back into the system and place an order for a COVID-19 test. When an order is placed, participants will receive a QR code and an order number for use at the testing site. Photo identification will be required; health insurance is not necessary.”

“These tests are for the men and women who serve food at our restaurants, who work the cash register in our shops, who teach the children in our schools – and others,” Melham said.

“Our workers must remain vigilant to the risk of COVID-19 each day on the job,” Melham continued. “Offering them free COVID-19 testing will help keep them safe and help mitigate the spread of coronavirus in our town.”

As of Wednesday, Belleville has seen 2,504 cumulative cases of COVID-19, with 78 deaths linked to the disease, county statistics show. Belleville has a population of 36,497, according to the most recent estimate from the U.S. Census.

The township is contacting businesses in Belleville to notify them that their employees should take advantage of the free COVID-19 testing for service workers. Going forward, officials said they hope to offer free COVID-19 testing each Monday through the end of January.

Subsequent testing will be open to all residents of Belleville, not just those in the service industry, officials said.

For more information call the testing center at 201-849-8500 or Belleville Township at 973-450-3330 or 973-450-3340. People seeking a test can also email Belleville@NJCovidTests.com.

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