Albany Medical Center and St. Peter’s Health Partners are suspending COVID-19 community testing, the hospitals announced on Thursday evening.

Effective immediately, St. Peter’s will be testing only symptomatic health-care providers at its Albany Memorial Campus at 600 Northern Blvd. in Albany.

Drive-up testing will continue until 9 p.m. Friday, March 20, at the Albany Med testing site adjacent to its emergency department at 43 New Scotland Avenue in Albany. The Albany Med site will remain open only to examine and evaluate patients and will continue to be operated by emergency medical staff.

“The difficult decision was made in order to conserve testing resources for those at highest risk, including inpatients, symptomatic direct-care workers, and those with high-risk exposure to the virus,” a release from the hospitals said.

People with symptoms of COVID-19 who have not been determined by a doctor to require hospital care, are advised to follow the recommended 14-day home quarantine and any treatment regimen recommended by their doctors.

The hospitals advised people who are sick to:

— Stay home except to get medical care, and separate yourself from other people and animals in your home;

— Call your health-care provider if your illness is worsening;

— Cover your coughs and sneezes; and

— Clean your hands often.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has current information about the virus, including information on how the virus spreads, how it’s treated, how to protect yourself, and what to do if you get sick.