All Exposed NYers Now Told To Get Coronavirus Test: Here's How

NEW YORK CITY – Coronavirus tests, not so long ago administered to only the most critically sick in New York City, are now widely available to New Yorkers, Governor Andrew Cuomo said Friday.

With 750 testing sites statewide and more than 20,000 tests available every day in New York City, anybody who believes they have symptoms or who has been in contact with somebody who has tested positive is now urged to be tested.

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That's a far cry from the situation in late March as the crisis threatened to overwhelm health services and people were urged not to be tested unless they were very sick.

"Everybody who calls wants a test, and we have to tell them they're not sick enough to get one," a 311 source said at the time.

On Friday, the governor said, "If you have any symptoms of Covid, get a test. If you are exposed to a person who was positive, get a test."

State guidelines now say you can now get a test if you are:

• An individual is symptomatic or has a history of symptoms of COVID-19 (e.g. fever, cough, and/or trouble breathing), particularly if the individual is 70 years of age or older, the individual has a compromised immune system, or the individual has an underlying health condition; or
• An individual has had close (i.e. within six feet) or proximate contact with a person known to be positive with COVID-19; or
• An individual is subject to a precautionary or mandatory quarantine; or
• An individual is employed as a health care worker, first responder, or other essential worker who directly interacts with the public while working; or
• An individual presents with a case where the facts and circumstances – as determined by the treating clinician in consultation with state or local department of health officials – warrant testing; or
• An individual is included under other criteria set by the NYS Dept. of Health based on an individual's geographic place of residence, occupation, or other factors that the Department may deem relevant for COVID-19 testing purposes; or
• Any individual who would return to workplace in Phase 1 .

You can find a test site here.

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