Pop-up testing days for protest-driven coronavirus transmissionDate: 6/15/2020 GREATER SPRINGFIELD – At a June 15 press conference, Gov. Charlie Baker announced a two-day coronavirus testing event to test those who have attended large gatherings in the past 2 weeks.
Testing will be available at 52 pop-up testing sites around the state. The sites will be operating on June 17 and June 18. Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders said some of the test sites operate by appointment, others by walk-in and still others use a mixture of both models.
“By getting tested you can help keep yourself and your close contacts safe from the virus,” Baker said.
The free testing at these sites is an attempt to get in front of any potential surge of COVID-19 cases resulting from large protests that have occurred statewide in the wake of the death of George Floyd. Floyd, a black Minneapolis man was killed while in police custody in May.
“We started thinking last week about creating some kind of mechanism to make it possible to get a sense about if there was, in fact, transmissions that came out of the gatherings that have taken place so far,” Baker said.
Statewide, over 70,000 tests have been performed since the beginning of the pandemic. The current rate of positive 3 percent, which Baker noted is down 90 percent since April 15. This represents “continued positive incremental progress,” Baker said. Sudders said they expect an additional ten thousand tests each day of the pop-up testing event.
In Springfield, the following locations are open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. by appointment:
• Baystate High Street Health Center, 140 High St.
• Baystate Brightwood Health Center, 380 Plainfield St.
• Baystate Health, 298 Carew St.
Appointments can be made at all three locations by calling 795-8378.
Testing is also available by appointment at two area CVS locations, 215 College Hwy., Southwick and 928 Riverdale St., West Springfield from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. To make an appointment, visit www.cvs.com/minuteclinic/covid-19-testing. Answer yes when asked, “Have you been prioritized by your state or local health department for testing?”
A full list of pop-up testing sites can be found at mass.gov/gettested.
|
