Word Up Community Bookshop/Librería Comunitaria in New York City's Washington Heights, has partnered with Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer to become a Covid-19 self-testing pop-up site.
The nonprofit bookstore's first day as a testing site was Tuesday, January 19, and founder Veronica Liu reported that Word Up will be doing this for at least the next few Tuesdays and "may continue beyond that till Covid numbers go down." Starting the week of January 25, Word Up will also be distributing books to those who come to get tested, though no one is allowed to shop in the space while testing is going on (Word Up has remained closed to browsing since the early days of the pandemic).
While the store is operating as a testing site, Word Up will still be doing online orders and virtual events. The online orders will be packaged and shipped from a different location; curbside pick-up service has been suspended; and most of Word Up's staff will be working remotely for the next few weeks. Word Up collective members, meanwhile, will not be required to be onsite during this period, but those who do choose to volunteer will be double-masked, face-shielded and maintaining social distance. The store is also not taking any used book donations at this time.
During the walk-up testing hours, everyone must wear masks while waiting in line and they must stay at least six feet apart. Staff from NYC Health and Hospitals and the Office of the Manhattan Borough President will be supplying the self-swab kits, collecting the swabs, packaging them and sending them to the lab. Results generally arrive in about 48 hours. Anyone over the age of 18 can get a walk-up test, though they need an e-mail address to do it, and children ages 4-17 can get tested if a parent or guardian is present.
Liu reported that Brewer's office first contacted Word Up in mid-December about becoming a testing site, but as holiday pick-ups and shipping were in full swing, it took some time to figure out how the transition would work. She admitted she was also initially concerned about how the collective might react to this possibility.
"I feel like I shouldn't be surprised anymore at how willing the group is to step up to neighborhood challenges," Liu said, "but again was floored by the immediately expressed support for being of service to the neighborhood and city in this way."