August 7, 2020

Mayor Bhalla, Prompt MD announce additional COVID-19 testing options

Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla and the City of Hoboken, in partnership with Prompt MD, will be providing additional free COVID-19 testing at the Jackson Street Gymnasium (605 Jackson Street) on August 10-11, and August 17-18. The pop-up COVID-19 testing site will have the capacity to test up to 350 residents per day. The pop-up testing site will be open to Hoboken residents only, with results provided 2-3 days after the completion of a test. Registration is open on a first-come, first-serve basis.

To receive a COVID-19 test on Monday or Tuesday at the pop-up site with Prompt MD, residents must register online at hobokennj.gov/PromptMD with the required documentation including a driver’s license or government-issued identification with a Hoboken address, as well as health insurance information. Walk-ins will not be permitted, as anyone who requests a test must fill out the online registration. The City of Hoboken will pay for the cost of the test for anyone who does not have health insurance.

“Providing a COVID-19 test for anyone who needs it remains at the forefront of our strategy to combat the spread of the virus, and this additional site with Prompt MD will help us meet the increasing demand,” said Mayor Bhalla. “I encourage any Hoboken resident who has recently traveled to a high risk state, or may have been in a situation where an exposure may have occurred, to get a COVID-19 test. Thank you to Dr. Islam, as well as Christine Herman Pipchick and the employees at Prompt MD for working with the City and Director Pellegrini to provide this additional testing.”

The additional COVID-19 testing with Prompt MD will help mitigate the high demand for testing at the Riverside testing site under the 14th Street Viaduct, which will continue rapid COVID-19 testing. The City asks that anyone who is asymptomatic or getting a test for a precautionary reason (ie visiting elderly relatives next weekend) to consider utilizing the pop-up COVID-19 testing site with Prompt MD, to allow for symptomatic residents to utilize the Riverside site.  

Residents are asked to keep in mind that a COVID-19 test is recommended at least 5-7 days after a potential exposure, and that many who have contracted the virus do not have symptoms. Receiving a COVID-19 test prior may yield inaccurate results as the incubation period for the virus is 2-14 days. Residents are asked to quarantine until after receiving the test result. If returning from a state on New Jersey’s quarantine list or have had a high-risk exposure, residents must still self-quarantine for the full 14 days, even with a negative test result.

The procedure for booking a test through Riverside remains the same, as residents should call the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) hotline in City Hall, Monday through Friday from 9 am until 1 pm at 201-420-5621. Employees of local businesses that request a COVID-19 test should continue to request sites through Riverside and calling the City Hall hotline.

For the most up-to-date COVID-19 testing information in the City of Hoboken, please visit the City's dedicated COVID-19 testing page at http://www.hobokennj.gov/testing.