Baker-Polito Administration Announces Expansion through June of Targeted Free COVID-19 Testing Sites

 Baker-Polito Administration Announces Expansion through June of Targeted Free COVID-19 Testing Sites

3/09/2021

• Office of Governor Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito
• Executive Office of Health and Human Services
• Department of Public Health
• Governor's Press Office

BOSTON — Today, the Baker-Polito Administration announced an extension of the “Stop the Spread” COVID-19 initiative, which provides free COVID-19 testing in communities across the Commonwealth. The program, which was set to close on March 31, has been extended through June 30, 2021.

Building on Massachusetts’ nation-leading COVID-19 testing program, state-sponsored testing will continue to be available to all Massachusetts residents at no cost to them through June 30, 2021 at more than 35 locations. Testing is one of the important public health tools, in addition to contact tracing, complying with public health mitigation measures such as face coverings, physical distancing, staying home when sick, and good hygiene, to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Since the state began this free virus testing in July 2020, more than 1.8 million tests have been conducted at “Stop the Spread” locations as of March 3, 2021. Meanwhile, the total number of COVID-19 virus tests conducted state-wide at all testing providers since the pandemic began is more than 16.8 million.

The Stop the Spread initiative is a data-driven effort to reduce the prevalence of COVID-19 in communities across the Commonwealth. All state residents may visit the locations even if they do not reside in the town or city where the testing is being conducted.

The statewide 7-day average of percent positivity for COVID-19 of individuals tested as reported on Monday, March 8th, was 1.67%. 

Residents of the state may visit the following website to find testing locations: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/find-a-covid-19-test. Additional information about COVID-19 testing, including why testing is important and what you should do if your test is positive, can be found at www.mass.gov/GetTested.