Lindenhurst, NY, April 3rd, 2020: It is my belief that, as local government officials, it is our responsibility to get the appropriate information out to our constituents, and to provide them with the best answers possible to their questions.
As such, I have been joining my fellow Legislators in taking on shifts at the Suffolk County 311 Call Center, which also functions as the County’s COVID-19 Hotline. The great staff at the call center have been inundated with calls regarding COVID-19, and it was my pleasure to lend a helping hand.
Many of the questions were about the criteria and where to get tested. Below is some helpful information we are providing:
- To be tested you must be exhibiting flu like symptoms including cough and loss of taste and smell. Additional factors are exposure to a person who tested positive and if you are 60 plus and/or have underlying medical conditions.
- Options for testing are the following:
- New York State Testing site at Stony Brook or Jones Beach. Call 888-364-3065 You must call in advance for an appointment. You will be screened over the phone for eligibility for testing.
- The following Urgent Care Centers are also providing testing: Call in advance for screening: City MD, LI Urgent Care, Patchogue Urgent Care, Excel Urgent Care, Northwell Health- Go Health Urgent Care, CareMed, American Family Care- Urgent Care.
As of Thursday, April 2nd, there are thousands of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Suffolk County, further reinforcing the importance of social distancing. I have been posting daily updates with specific and up-to-date information every evening, and I encourage you to visit my Facebook (Kevin McCaffrey) and Instagram (@legislatorkevinmccaffrey) for more info. For COVID-19 related questions, please call the New York State Hotline at 1-888-364-3065, the Suffolk County Hotline at 311, or my Office at 1-631-854-1100.
Legislator McCaffrey represents Suffolk County’s 14th Legislative District which encompasses the Village of Lindenhurst, Babylon Village, the hamlets of West Babylon and North Lindenhurst, portions of Copiague, North Babylon and Babylon’s barrier beach communities.