Mercer County’s appointment-only, drive-through COVID-19 testing site has been relocated from the parking lot at the Quaker Bridge Mall in Lawrence Township to a parking lot across the street from the Mercer County administration building on S. Broad Street, effective May 19.
The McDade Administration Building is located at 640 S. Broad St. in Trenton. The parking lot is opposite the administration building, one block south of the CURE Insurance Arena (formerly known as the Sun Bank Arena).
The Quaker Bridge Mall has been closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is anticipated that the mall will reopen in the near future under Gov. Phil Murphy’s plan to gradually reopen the state. Mercer County officials decided to move the testing site from the mall to Trenton for that reason.
The move from the Quaker Bridge Mall does not affect the appointment-only, walk-up testing sites in Hightstown and Trenton. Those sites are intended for residents who cannot drive to the testing site at the Quaker Bridge Mall, and now in the parking lot opposite the Mercer County administration building.
The requirement for obtaining a COVID-19 test has not changed, either for the drive-up testing site or the walk-up testing sites in Trenton and Hightstown, Mercer County officials said.
Testing is available at no cost to Mercer County residents who show symptoms of COVID-19. Those symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and the loss of taste and smell.
To be eligible for testing, it is necessary to be examined by a physician. The physician will determine whether a test is needed, based on the symptoms. No one should be tested unless they are displaying symptoms.
If the physician believes a test is needed, he or she will fax a prescription to the Mercer County health call center. A representative will contact the resident to schedule an appointment.
Residents who do not have a physician can call the Henry J. Austin Health Center at 609-278-5900. They can help put the resident in touch with a physician by phone or video.
The Mercer County COVID-19 testing centers are a collaborative effort between Mercer County, the City of Trenton, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, Capital Health System, St. Francis Medical Center and the Trenton Health Team.