Mobile test and trace for COVID-19 opened up on Roosevelt Island yesterday. NYC Health & Hospitals parked its van outside Good Shepherd Plaza, welcoming all comers. The results were shaky, at best.
By David Stone
Test and Trace Van Arrives as Promised
At mid-morning, Judith Berdy noticed a line of folks waiting for COVID-19 testing. Appeals from multiple residents had caught the attention of city council member-elect Julie Menin and state assembly member Rebecca Seawright. Both tweeted the good news on Friday afternoon. Monday morning would see the van parked at Good Shepherd Plaza.
Although the city promised only a week of local testing, any extension or return depends on use for continuing or bringing it back. First day results were uncertain as the afternoon was slow. Personnel onsite declined answering questions about the number tests taken.
By early afternoon, the lines were gone, and probably for protection against the cold, they’d closed the door. At first, I thought a lunch break explained it, but personnel inside told me that wasn’t until 2:00.
But before that happened, I looked in the passenger window because a hooded driver slumped over the steering wheel. Was he okay? That brought the sliding door sliding open.
Planning on updating readers, I asked how many people had been tested so far. The answer was mysteriously fuzzy, giving me too little information for reporting anything except having too little information.
Pockets of low or no traffic aren’t good encouragement for Test & Trace staying or returning. The simple message is, residents asked for it, and now that they’ve got it, lining up for tests is critical. There’s no harm in knowing and likely a whole lot of good. So, get tested already.
More from the Roosevelt Island Daily News
- Thursday’s PSD blotter: two hospital runs, a trespass summons at 888 MainRIOC’s Nov. 12 PSD blotter lists 15 incidents: six medical calls, two alarms at 546 Main Street, and a late-night trespass at 888 Main Street that ended with a summons.
- Queens Home Prices and Rents Rise in October 2026 as Long Island City Condos Draw BuyersQueens home prices and rents rose in October 2026. See StreetEasy’s housing figures and Long Island City condo contract activity at Radiant and Vesta.
- Medicare Open Enrollment Ends Dec. 7: Get Answers on 2027 ChangesMedicare open enrollment ends Dec. 7. Sen. Krueger’s Nov. 16 virtual town hall covers 2027 premium, deductible and Part D changes, with a HIICAP expert’s Q&A.
- Wednesday’s PSD blotter: two medical calls, a water leak, a custody reportRIOC’s Nov. 11 PSD blotter lists 10 incidents, all on Main Street, including two medical calls at 555 Main Street, a water leak at 560 Main and a custody or visitation report.
- Six-Unit Apartment Building Planned for 10th Street in AstoriaPlans for a six-unit apartment building in Astoria call for four stories at 35-25 10th St. See proposed dimensions, apartment sizes and permit status.
The Pickle Jar
The Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation Board of Directors met on October 22, 2026, at the Good Shepherd Community Center, and the evening began with a list of one. “Is Judy Berdy here?” Chair Designee Meghan Anderson asked. Ms. Berdy, the only resident signed up to speak, was not in the room.
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