Free virus testing for hard-hit communities
Baker announces ‘Stop the Spread’ initiative in eight towns, cities
Free coronavirus testing is coming to eight hard-hit Massachusetts communities later this week, Gov. Charlie Baker announced Wednesday.
“Focusing our efforts to increase testing in these communities will help identify new cases and stop the spread,” Baker said, speaking from the State House.
Testing sites will be open from July 10 to Aug. 14 in Chelsea, Everett, Fall River, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Marlborough and New Bedford —communities where Baker said pockets of the virus have lingered even as the state as a whole has seen “a downward trend on many of the key metrics.”
Baker said communities with elevated spread, high positive test rates and a decline in testing were selected to participate in the initiative he dubbed, “Stop the Spread.”
Testing sites will include a mix of brick-and-mortar locations and mobile vans, Baker said. Information on specific testing locations is available at mass.gov/stopthespread.
The 7-day average of the positive test rate has hovered just below 2% statewide for several weeks — down 93% from the height of the peak in April, Baker said. The positive test rate in the eight communities chosen to participate in the free testing program is around 8%.
Residents of the eight communities represent 9% of the state’s population, but account for 27% of all coronavirus cases detected in the past two weeks, Baker said during an afternoon briefing at the State House.
“We picked these places because they had higher positive tests than other parts of Massachusetts,” Baker said. The governor recommended all residents in those communities get tested whether they have symptoms or not.
Baker didn’t rule out expanding the testing program to other communities, saying state health officials will continue to monitor key metrics.
Health and Human Service Secretary Marylou Sudders called testing a “loving gesture” to protecting friends and family from the highly infectious virus.
“Increased testing within these communities will help to identify new cases of COVID-19 and break the chains of community transmission,” Sudders said.
Sudders and Baker both stressed the importance of self-isolation for anyone testing positive for COVID19. And they urged people to answer the call if they are contacted by the Community Tracing Collaborative or their local board of health.
The state is still operating two isolation recovery centers where people with nowhere to quarantine can go to isolate and recover from the highly infectious virus, Sudders said.