Union County – Testing Educators for Safe Teaching will hold first two testing events on October 16 in Linden and October 27 in Clark.
Union County, NJ – The Union County Freeholder Board is proud to announce the launch of the UC-TEST (Testing Educators for Safe Teaching) program. The UC-TEST program will function as a pop-up mobile testing site that will visit school districts throughout the County to provide twice monthly testing for all teachers. Administration and school staff will also be tested.
UC-TEST is the result of a partnership between the County of Union and the Union County Education Association (UCEA). The ultimate goal of the program is to bring as many municipal education associations into the partnership for maximum coverage of testing for those working in schools within Union County. The mobile test unit will administer the saliva test to all those being tested.
“The Freeholder Board is proud of this partnership, as we continue to work to keep our communities safe,” said Freeholder Chairman, Alexander Mirabella. “It is especially important that we provide a safe environment for students across the county as they navigate in-person learning during COVID-19. UC-TEST will be an important component in our ongoing efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.”
The first scheduled mobile pop-up testing event will take place on October 16th between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. in Linden. The mobile test unit will be set up in the parking lot at the Linden Board of Education building located at 2 East Gibbons Street.
“Our message has always been that we must provide the highest measures of safety for children and staff with any in-person re-opening,” said Linden Education Association President, Eloy Delgado. “Having access to testing is a key component of ensuring safety for all in our community. I am proud to have been able to partner with Union County in order to provide free COVID-19 testing for our school employees. Thank you to all the individuals who were instrumental in making this happen. Working together, we will contain COVID-19.”
The second mobile pop-up testing will take place on October 27 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Union County Education Association (UCEA) Headquarters located at 77 Central Ave in Clark. Details on subsequent events will be forthcoming.
“Thank you to Union County for testing and accommodating our 13,000 member educators. It is our collective responsibility to minimize the spread of this virus,” said Lisa D. Palin, President of the UCEA. “First and foremost, we want to ensure a safe and effective transition in order for us to provide a traditional education for our students and families. This is just a first step and I encourage all to do their part to stop the virus.”
For more information and updates on all Union County services and resources during the COVID-19 outbreak, including guidance for using the Drive-Through Test Center at Kean University and the Mobile Test Unit walk-up sites, visit the new Union County COVID-19 website at ucnj.org/covid19.
For general information about COVID-19 and phone contacts for 24/7 assistance with questions, visit the New Jersey Department of Health at nj.gov/health.
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For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.
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