(NEW YORK) — Urgent care chain CityMD announced it is temporarily closing more than a dozen of its 150 locations in New York and New Jersey amid a surge in COVID-19 cases and increased demands for testing.
The 19 shuttered clinics include 13 in New York City — impacting every borough except Staten Island — two on Long Island, one in Westchester County, and three in New Jersey.
“To preserve our ability to staff our sites, we are temporarily closing certain locations effective December 22,” a statement on CityMD’s website read. “It is our hope that closing sites now will best allow us to avoid future closures as this surge continues.”
It is not clear when the locations will reopen, with CityMD directing patients to visit nearby locations for testing in the meantime.
This is not the first time that CityMD has closed locations due to the pandemic.
During Thanksgiving last year, the urgent care chain announced all locations would close 90 minutes earlier, citing staff working longer hours than scheduled due to long COVID-19 testing lines
CityMD did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
The closures come as states in the Northeast continue to report record-breaking numbers of COVID-19 cases.
On Wednesday, New York reported record-high infections for the fifth time over six days, with more than 28,000 people testing positive, state data showed.
Additionally, New York City has the country’s highest new case rate, with 1,019 cases per 100,000 people over the last seven days, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
To meet the demand for testing, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the city would be opening more than 20 testing locations this week.
Gov. Kathy Hochul also said the state intends to set up an online portal through which New Yorkers can order at-home rapid tests. The tests will mostly be sent to areas where vaccination rates are lagging and cases are rising.
New Jersey also reported a record number of COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, with 9,711 confirmed infections.
The state already has a program in place for residents to request a free COVID-19 test kit in the mail. The sample is then sent back to a laboratory with results available within 48 hours.
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