NYC Test & Trace Corps and Port Authority Open Free COVID-19 Testing Site at JetBlue's Terminal 5 at JFK Airport, Pilot Program Launches to Provide Free COVID-19 Test Kits to New Yorkers Booked on Return Flights

NEW YORK, November 18, 2020 /3BL Media/ — In partnership with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and JetBlue, New York’s Hometown Airline®, the NYC Test & Trace Corps today announced the opening of a new COVID-19 testing site at JetBlue’s Terminal 5 at (T5) John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The new testing location opens today and will be fully-operational for six months, with the capacity for up to 600 tests per day. The site will provide free, walk-in testing seven days a week, from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. With more than 40,000 essential airline and airport workers at JFK, the new testing site will bolster outreach to this critical frontline group while also allowing those who must travel the chance to test before and after a flight and receive results within 48 hours on average.

The new JFK site becomes the second free testing location at a New York City airport, following the opening last month of a site at LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B garage with the capacity to test 400 individuals a day. New Yorkers can visit more than 200 testing sites across the five boroughs. To find the nearest testing site go to nyc.gov/covidtest or call the NYC Test & Trace Corps hotline at (212)-COVID19.

In addition to the new testing site, Test & Trace Corps is partnering with JetBlue to help travelers understand and comply with New York State’s recently updated requirements for out of state travel. Under the new guidance, travelers who are arriving from any state that does not share a border with New York or CDC Level 2 or 3 Travel Advisory countries can opt to shorten the mandatory quarantine upon return to New York by taking a test no more than 72 hours prior to arrival in New York (the result is not needed prior to arrival), completing the New York State Traveler Health Form prior to landing in New York, quarantining for three days and on day four, taking a second test. When both negative tests results are confirmed, the quarantine can end.

To help promote safe reentry into New York, Test & Trace Corps will trial a partnership with JetBlue to distribute test kits to customers on select flights over a period of several days. The test is a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) and includes clinician support by Picture Genetics by Fulgent Genetics, a certified and accredited clinical diagnostic lab. Customers will be offered a test kit upon boarding, which they can keep until they are within 72 hours of their return to New York, and then self-administer and mail in order to satisfy New York State’s pre-arrival testing requirement. Once the lab receives the test, results will be provided within 48 hours. The traveler must still quarantine for four days upon their return to New York and test negative on the fourth day in order to end quarantine before the typical 14-day quarantine period.

This is the latest in JetBlue’s broader Safety from the Ground Up program, which focuses on healthy crewmembers, clean air and surfaces, fewer touchpoints, as well as travel flexibility. The airline is dedicated to continuing to evolve this program while focusing on ensuring customers who want or need to travel feel comfortable. To learn more about the airline’s safety program, visit jetblue.com/safety.

About JetBlue
JetBlue is New York's Hometown Airline®, and a leading carrier in Boston, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Los Angeles, Orlando, and San Juan. JetBlue carries customers across the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America. For more information, visit jetblue.com.

About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 42,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NYCHealthSystem or Twitter at @NYCHealthSystem.

About PANYNJ
Since 1921, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has kept the region moving by air, land, rail and sea, so that the people and businesses of our region continue to thrive. With engineering in our DNA, we are shaping the future of the region with groundbreaking yet practical facilities and systems built for the 21st century. The agency’s network of aviation, ground, rail, and seaport facilities is among the busiest in the country, supports more than 550,000 regional jobs, and generates more than $23 billion in annual wages and $80 billion in annual economic activity. For more information, please visit https://www.panynj.gov.