{"id":385605,"date":"2021-12-25T03:23:47","date_gmt":"2021-12-25T00:23:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/cops-called-as-nyc-crowd-gathers-for-free-covid-19-tests\/"},"modified":"2021-12-25T03:23:47","modified_gmt":"2021-12-25T00:23:47","slug":"cops-called-as-nyc-crowd-gathers-for-free-covid-19-tests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/cops-called-as-nyc-crowd-gathers-for-free-covid-19-tests\/","title":{"rendered":"#Cops called as NYC crowd gathers for free COVID-19 tests"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Cops called as NYC crowd gathers for free COVID-19 tests<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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Cops had to step in Friday as a crowd mobbed a Brooklyn corner where the city was giving away free at-home COVID-19 tests. <\/p>\n

Tempers flared as the larger-than-expected crowd descended on Flatbush and Church avenues, one of five spots in the Big App<\/a>le where city health officials were doling out tests amid a surge in demand over the holidays and lack of supply.<\/p>\n

\"People
New Yorkers reach their hands out hoping to get a free COVID-19 testing kit.<\/figcaption>
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\"People
Mayor Bill de Blasio promises all New Yorkers who are \u201cwaiting in line\u201d will receive COVID-19 testing kits.<\/figcaption>
Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Photos from the scene showed members of the crowd raising their voices and pointing fingers \u2014 and cops tried to calm them.<\/p>\n

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Follow the latest news<\/a> on the Omicron variant with the New York Post\u2019s live coverage <\/strong><\/p>\n

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Mayor Bill de Blasio has opened about 120 city testing sites<\/a> \u2014 and has several mobile testing facilities making the rounds on local streets \u2014 amid an unprecedented spike in the virus thanks to the Omicron variant.<\/p>\n

\"People
A city health official carefully gives a free at-home COVID-19 testing box as people trample over each other.<\/figcaption>
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\"People
An angry person yells at city health officials after free at-home COVID-19 tests were no longer available.<\/figcaption>
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\u201cWe\u2019ve opened new city-run testing sites in all five boroughs and have been handing out at-home #COVID-19 tests to those waiting in line,\u201d de Blasio said on Twitter<\/a>. \u201cOur teams are working tirelessly to get you what you need.\u201d<\/p>\n

But it hasn\u2019t been enough. And many sites were due to close early on Friday and Saturday, the city health department tweeted<\/a> \u2014 leaving virus-conscious locals even more uneasy.<\/p>\n

\"People
A man firmly holds onto a free at-home COVID-19 test.<\/figcaption>
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\"People
People were hoping to grab a free at-home COVID-19 test as New Yorkers wait in long lines at private testing sites.<\/figcaption>
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\"People
NYPD officers were deployed to control the hostile crowd anxious for free COVID-19 tests.<\/figcaption>
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Angry New Yorkers have already been very vocal about delays at the sites, reporting long lines and inconsistent availability \u2014 and even price gouging. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Omicron is raging throughout the Empire State, with 38,835 cases on Thursday alone \u2014 shattering the prior day\u2019s record by some 10,000 cases. <\/p>\n

\"People
NYPD officers attempt to control an anxious crowd waiting for free at-home COVID-19 tests.<\/figcaption>
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\"People
No injuries have been reported from the crowding incident.<\/figcaption>
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The NYPD said it did not immedia<\/a>tely have any information Friday\u2019s crowd at the Brooklyn site.\n <\/p><\/div>\n