New Rochelle, New York was once the epicenter of the highest number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. In March, there was a containment zone set up for two weeks before the implementation of statewide orders. That same month, New Rochelle became the site of New York’s first drive-through COVID-19 mobile testing. WAMC’s Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Allison Dunne spoke with Mayor Noam Bramson about how the city has been faring since.
Bramson, a Democrat, says the good news is the city is past the apex of the coronavirus.
A walk-through COVID-19 testing center opened Monday as a collaboration between the city and Montefiore New Rochelle. Bramson says the testing site is in a more central portion of the community and more easily accessible to neighborhoods most heavily impacted by the virus. Meantime, Bramson hired a director of community engagement shortly after the containment zone was lifted to focus on volunteer and community group initiatives.
