Meor Hatfiloa Offers Free Testing Tonight, Says Testing is the Way out of Red Zone

By Yehudit Garmaise:

   “Increased efforts for COVID testing is our way out of the mess!” said the project coordinator of Meor Hatefillah, a Boro Park shul at 5910 20th St., which is hosting a free COVID testing drive tonight for men, women, and children from 7 to 10pm. 

   “If Boro Park makes a concerted effort for everyone to test in the next two weeks, we can open up our schools, shuls, and businesses,” the testing drive’s organizer said.

   Williamsburg, which was never a red zone has reported having taken 12,000 COVID tests, but Boro Park, which has been a red zone for two weeks has reported only 5,000 COVID tests, which is a very small fraction of what we need to lower our positivity rate.

   Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that he will reassess the state’s zones in 10 days, so Boro Parkers can use that time to dramatically increase testing and add negative COVID test results to bring down the neighborhood’s overall positivity rate.

   “The numbers in Boro Park are honestly high,” said a member of Meor Hatefillah, who pointed out that a lack of awareness of the importance of testing in the neighborhood has resulted in the fact that majority of the people getting tested are sick, making the positivity rate of Boro Park to look higher than it actually is.

   “When only sick people get tested, our positivity numbers are raised higher and higher,” explained The program coordinator, who also mentioned that while some people in the community may not think increased testing will help matters, he said that testing is the “only tool right now at our disposal.”

  “Simply walking around being angry and upset is not going to get us out of the red zone,” he said. “We have to do our part. We have to make an effort.”

     In comparison, in the other areas, many askanim explain, everyone gets tested. When healthy people are tested, communities’ overall COVID positivity rates are driven down.

   Williamsburg, for instance, has been doing mass testing since Rosh Hashana, and their numbers have been significantly lower, which resulted in Williamsburg never having to be in a red zone or any kind of zone.

   Additionally, Queens has also crept out of the red zone directly because they increased their COVID testing in the last few weeks.

   Other shuls and institutions can arrange for testing drives by calling nearby urgent care facilities to come and test.