Bronx Zoo Parking Lots Taken Over For COVID-19 Resources

The East entrance to the Bronx Zoo at Boston Road off the Bronx River Parkway is set up for Drive-through testing 

   The Boston Road and Southern Boulevard parking lots of the Bronx Zoo have been taken over to fight COVID-19. Since the Bronx Zoo is closed the Boston Road parking lot was being used as a staging area for out of state ambulances. As of Sunday April 5th the Boston Road parking lot is now a drive through COVID-19 testing area for Montefiore Hospital. Two rows of tents were set up for this testing area.

The ambulances have been moved to the larger Southern Boulevard parking lot, along with a restocking area for the ambulances, a rest area for the ambulance crews, and a management operation headquarters for Recovery Logistics. Under a FEMA contract Recovery Logistics has brought to the New York City area about 250 ambulances and trained personal to deal with COVID-19. 

In speaking with Mr. Chris Chaplin of Recovery Logistics he said the company is from North Carolina, is a national and worldwide response team that helps communities recover from a natural disaster.  The company been given a FEMA contract to assist in the Bronx and other parts of the city, which Mr. Chaplin would not go into. I also asked if Recovery Logistics was involved in the cremation of the dead bodies that are beginning to pile up outside hospital makeshift morgues, and was told no that Recovery Logistics was not. 

In speaking to Castle Hill/Parkchester District Leader and State Senate Candidate John Perez, his worries are with the residents in the NYCHA buildings in the Bronx where maintenance problems have continued for years without resolution. He adds that with the outbreak of COBIV-19 our people in the Bronx have the least resources, and will probably be the last to get the needed medical attention and ventilators.

 

Above - At the Southern Boulevard entrance an armed guards are posted at the entrance to the parking lot where Ambulances from North Carolina wait for calls and are restocked.

Below - Another photo showing the two different staging areas of the Parking lot. Ambulances to one side, and all other vehicles to the other side where another tent has been set up.

Recovery Logistics has set up a command post on this part of the parking lot.