The Township of North Bergen is announcing that their police department, Emergency Medical Services, and frontline employees will receive rapid, antibody testing for COVID-19.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“The individuals dealing with the general public must be COVID-19 free to ensure the safety of our residents,†Mayor Nick Sacco said in a statement.
“Knowing that our front line personnel are free of this deadly virus enables us to better allocate resources and personnel to maintain services and do so in a safe and responsible manner.â€
The 15-minute tests will be administered to police, EMS and other township frontline personnel at the North Bergen Recreation Center.
All responders will be required to wear personal protective equipment and adhere to strict distancing guidelines.
To date, 13 North Bergen police officers have tested positive since the onset of the pandemic, with eight officers already being cleared to return to work.
Based on data compiled by the New Jersey Department of Health, there are 12,645 confirmed COVID-19 patients in Hudson County and 606 deaths as of Thursday, the second and third most in the state by county, respectively.
