March 18, 2020
To the William Paterson community:
I am writing to let you know that Passaic County officials notified us that William Paterson University has been designated as a “drive-through” testing location for COVID-19. This action was taken under the auspices of Gov. Murphy’s Executive Order 104 addressing New Jersey’s mitigation strategies for COVID-19, and we are committed to this public obligation as part of our role as a state institution.
We have been informed by the county to expect the drive-through to be operational on campus sometime next week. The drive-through testing will take place in Parking Lot 6 adjacent to the Sports and Recreation Center, and will continue until no longer needed by the county. When the site opens, it will be operational Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and will only be available for those with a physician’s order for a COVID-19 test. People to be tested will be instructed not to exit their vehicles. Please note that no William Paterson personnel from our Counseling, Health and Wellness Center or any other department, nor any campus buildings, will be used as part of this event.
Access to the testing location will be from Hamburg Turnpike and University Drive by College Hall. Cars will be stopped at a checkpoint adjacent to Parking Lot 5, where drivers will be screened by staff from the State Department of Health for documentation of a COVID-19 test order. University Police officers will be on hand at the Lot 5 checkpoint, as well as Entry 1 and Entry 4 on Pompton Road, to facilitate traffic, and provide access to the campus for faculty, staff, and students. Entry 6 at Belmont Avenue will be closed. Faculty, staff, and students seeking to access Parking Lots 4 and 5 should enter the campus at Entry 4 on Pompton Road.
We understand that this may be inconvenient for the campus community, especially in terms of traffic, but we do not expect any impact on the public health of our faculty, staff, or students. These are challenging times, and we are committed to doing our part to assist in these efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Sincerely,
Stephen Bolyai
Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance
