© Anne-Marie Caruso/NorthJersey.com Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, NJ has tents set up near the rear entrance to triage patients on Saturday March 14, 2020.

Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck has taken to testing patients for COVID-19 in two tents outside of their emergency department, officials said.

The tents are being used to test patients who have been screened by their physicians via phone or in-office visit and meet criteria for testing that triggers a referral to the center's infectious disease team, said hospital spokesperson Jessica Griffin in a statement.

“Our infectious disease team will assess the information provided by the patient's physician and the patient will be called in for testing if they meet our screening criteria,” Griffin said. “These tents are designated for testing only. Tents are not being used to treat patients.”

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She went on to say that the hospital does not believe patients who are asymptomatic or lack first-level exposure should be brought in for testing because it can clog up labs and delay test results for people who meet the stringent criteria for testing.

Griffin also said that patients who have mild or moderate symptoms will be sent home on isolation while awaiting results but those with serious complications will be placed in a negative pressure room to be monitored and cared for while awaiting results.

This comes as the number of confirmed cases in Bergen County climbs to 25 patients and 69 statewide. The 19 new cases announced Saturday range in age from 18 to 80, according to state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli.

The continuing rise in cases, especially in Bergen County — where some patients had contacts with a cluster of cases in Westchester County, New York — has spurred state and county officials to take stronger steps to keep the virus from spreading further.

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New Jersey is working with Bergen County to set up a "widespread testing center" at Bergen Community College in Paramus, Persichilli said.

Gov. Phil Murphy has urged all public gatherings of 250 people or more to be canceled, prompting many local St. Patrick's Day parades to be postponed. New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner on Thursday halted all new jury trials and on Saturday suspended most municipal court sessions for two weeks.

Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco has closed all 75 public school districts in the county starting Monday, and the districts will transition to online learning. Gov. Phil Murphy has said that statewide school closings are imminent. Burlington County schools will close for five weeks. Other school districts, from Newark to Toms River, announced closures for at least the next two weeks.

Tedesco also issued an emergency order to shut down all movie theaters, performance halls, and the Bergen County Zoo. American Dream, the mega-mall and entertainment complex scheduled to open its water park and retail wing March 19, has said it will close until further notice.

Officials have been promoting the idea of social distancing to keep the virus from spreading, which involves staying away from crowds and keeping a 6-foot distance from others. Frequent handwashing for 20 seconds is also a prescribed part of the regiment.

Murphy said Friday that New Jersey will receive a shipment of medical supplies from the federal government next week. This includes 84,000 respirators, 200,000 surgical face masks and thousands of face shields for health care workers to handle the growing number of cases.

Katie Sobko is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: sobko@northjersey.com Twitter: @katesobko

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Holy Name Medical Center now testing pre-screened patients for coronavirus outside hospital