On Wednesday, July 29, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman made a joint announcement that the state of New York would set up a COVID-19 testing site in the Sunshine City.

New York is also sending testing kits and protective materials such as masks and hand sanitizer, Governor Cuomo said on a phone call with the press.

FREE #COVID19 Diagnostic Testing in partnership with Mayor @Kriseman + New York Governor @NYGovCuomo at Pinellas Community Church. Make an appointment TODAY 👉 833-697-4352 pic.twitter.com/sZoS04luWO

— St. Petersburg, FL (@StPeteFL) July 29, 2020

“In our time of need, I asked on one dark day when I was doing a briefing for volunteers to come help us. I asked for doctors and nurses to come to New York, and 30,000 people from across the country rolled up their sleeves to help,” Governor Cuomo said. “I know I speak for all New Yorkers when I say we will always be grateful for that help that came to us, and we are paying back the favor today by sending PPE to St. Petersburg, where we’ve worked together to establish a community testing site. We will continue to return the favor and lend help to whoever needs it.”

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman said, “Throughout this public health crisis I have admired Governor Andrew Cuomo’s leadership and ability to clearly communicate to both New Yorkers and our nation. As Florida continues to confront the worst of COVID-19, I am grateful for the State of New York’s technical assistance and guidance, along with donations of test kits and vital supplies, and am proud to partner with them to ensure residents in our hardest hit neighborhoods have access to additional testing. Pinellas County and the City of St. Petersburg are on the right track. We have led the way in Florida every step of the way, but widespread testing and the subsequent protocols remain key to getting on the other side of this health crisis. We are pleased to provide a no-cost testing site at Pinellas Community Church to serve both neighboring residents and those throughout the Sunshine City.”

This testing site will be facilitated at Pinellas Community Church, located at 5501 31st St South.

Those interested in getting tested can call 833-697-4352 to make an appointment. Testing is available from 9am-5pm, Wednesday through Saturday.

The church testing site was created with expertise and resources from SOMOS Community Care. New York State will also provide the following supplies:

124,000 Surgical Masks (50 cases)
7,500 VTM Test Kits
7,500 Gowns
11,500 Gloves
7,500 N95 Masks
7,500 Face Shields
1,250 Gallons of Hand Sanitizer
1,200 Sanitizing Wipes
120 Goggles
10 Closed Circuit Ventilators
10 iPads to assist with tele-health needs 

Florida currently has 451,000+ confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 15,800 in Pinellas County.

Do you plan to get tested, or have you already been tested?

Let us know in the comments.