COVID-19 testing site at arena will open Sunday; Yudichak, township concerned

WILKES-BARRE — State Sen. John Yudichak and officials of Wilkes-Barre Township Wednesday voiced strong opposition to the state’s plan to establish a COVID-19 mass-testing site at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

“The Pennsylvania Department of Health, without prior consultation, informed members of the Luzerne County state legislative delegation of the plan to place a testing site at the arena in Wilkes-Barre Township,” Yudichak said.

The testing site is scheduled to open this Sunday, April 19.

Michael Revitt, Wilkes-Barre Township administrator, and Thomas Zedolik, zoning & code enforcement officer, both expressed their opposition to establishing a COVID-19 test site at the arena.

“We’ve expressed our concerns to just about everybody,” Revitt said. “Our fear is that this testing site will cover a 10-county area. When people come off of Interstate 81 and they see a Super Walmart, a Wegmans, a Sam’s Club, many will shop in those places after being tested. What happens if an outbreak occurs in one of those stores? Hundreds of hard working people will be affected, as will thousands of customers who depend on those businesses.”

Yudichak, I-Swoyersville, said individuals will have to pre-register to be tested for the COVID-19 virus, and registration will not be limited to Luzerne County residents. He said the Department of Health is encouraging residents from counties throughout northeastern Pennsylvania to travel to the site for testing.

“I spoke with Department of Health officials last week, and again this week, to encourage them to consult with local health care professionals and with local leaders,” Yudichak said. “Although, I fully support efforts to aggressively and responsibly test for the COVID-19 virus, the shortcomings in the vetting process of Luzerne County raises many concerns that need to be addressed.”

Yudichak said the establishment of a mass-test site comes at a time when data-gathering failures are being reported in Pennsylvania’s current testing system which is preventing the collection of vital information important to epidemiologists tracking the coronavirus. He said Marianne Downes, the incoming head of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science, recently said, “the collection of samples at drive-thru and rapid facilities is unique to the pandemic, complicates it, and makes it a much larger mess.”

Yudichak went on to say that when he asked if hospital officials from Luzerne County were solicited for input on the decision to construct a mass-test site in Luzerne County, the Department of Health indicated no health care professionals from northeastern Pennsylvania were consulted on the subject of establishing a mass-test site, or on ways to improve accurate data gathering through the testing process.

“In addition to the lack of collaboration with local hospitals, it is also clear that neither the Mayor of Wilkes-Barre Township nor the Mayor of the City of Wilkes-Barre were consulted by Department of Health officials about the construction of a mass-test site that would impact their respective communities, Yudichak said. “Considerable local resources and services may be necessary to support the new test site, but the Department has not shared the potential cost of those services with local communities.”

Yudichak said alternate, more remote sites were suggested to the state — Hazleton Airport and Pocono Raceway were two of those suggestions.

Yudichak also said that he and Wilkes-Barre Township officials are exploring all options, such as the need for permits. He said the township also wants to know if it is required to provide support, such as police and/or fire and emergency personnel.

When asked how members of our community, like the Latino Community in Hazleton, who are dependent on public or private mass transportation, would be able to access the testing site, Yudichak said he was told a transportation solution “would evolve” as the site is developed.

“I am increasingly concerned by the lack of collaboration exercised by the Pennsylvania Department of Health in response to the COVID-19 crisis in Luzerne County,” Yudichak said.

“The department’s slow response to addressing language barriers in our Latino Community in Hazleton, the lack of COVID-19 data sharing with our County EMA professionals and first responders, and the department’s inadequate enforcement measures in our regional industrial parks have all led to the increasing deployment of limited local resources to address COVID-19 crisis in Luzerne County.”

Yudichak then said, “It is especially disconcerting that the Department of Health would resist collaborating with local health care professionals who are battling COVID-19 in the field. From the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, I have urged leaders to listen to our health care professionals who are on the ground in this fight.”

Yudichak also said he has been told that more test kits are needed in area hospitals where the COVID-19 surge is occurring, more personal protection equipment (PPE) is needed across the broad spectrum of health care professionals, and the region’s nursing homes need more resources to ensure the safety of their staff and the individuals entrusted to their care.

“With our hospital workers being stretched to the point of mental and physical exhaustion and with our healthcare system being strained to its limit financially, why would we divert resources to a mass-test site that may contribute to data gathering flaws in Pennsylvania’s testing system and that may presents little immediate value to our collective efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus in Luzerne County?” Yudichak asked.

Yudichak said he appreciates the work the dedicated staff of the Department of Health are doing everyday. He said Secretary Rachel Levine and her staff are working to meet an unprecedented public health crisis.

“The unique challenge of the COVID-19, however, is not an open-ended opportunity for unilateral decisions that negate the need for all of us to collaborate on best practice strategies to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus and protect public health,” Yudichak said.

W-B Twp. opposed

Revitt said those seeking a COVID-19 test will need a prescription, which means they likely will test positive for the coronavirus. He said he and Zedolik and Mayor Carl Kuren have expressed these concerns to the Department of Health.

“The attitude has been that they are going to establish this like it or not,” Zedolik said. “My job is to protect the public health. Testing is needed, but not at one of busiest retail sites in NEPA.”

Revitt said he has friends in Long Island, NY, where he was told a testing site was set up on Jones Beach, a remote area not near a lot of people or businesses.

Revitt said the township was first contacted on April 3 to request a meeting. He said at the meeting, the township was told that this was what the state planned to do — establish a testing site at the arena.

“I started contacting every official I could,” Revitt said. “We didn’t think this was a good idea right from the beginning. We were told that there would be a one-way in and one-way out; that the people would be tested and then directed back to I-81. But all they have to do is travel a half mile and get off at the next exit to circle back to those stores.”

Revitt and Zedolik said the idea seems to go against everything Dr, Levine has been saying from the beginning — that the key to stopping the spread of the virus is social distancing.

“Yet they want to establish this site in the middle of a very busy area,” Revitt said.

Revitt said he is not aware of the state has reached out to local hospitals to assess their capabilities to handle an influx of new patients.

Revitt also said that the township has not been formally notified that the arena will open as a testing site this Sunday.

“At the April 3 meeting, when it was over, we were told to keep this hush-hush,” Revitt said.

Revitt also said that the township had yet to receive a phone call or any notification from the state about establishing the site.