BOSTON — Today, the administration of Gov. Charlie Baker announced an extension of the “Stop the Spread” COVID-19 initiative, which provides free COVID-19 testing in communities across the state. The program, which was set to end on March 31, has been extended through June 30, 2021, Baker said in a written statement.
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 at more than 35 locations.
Testing, Baker said, 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 state. All Massachusetts residents may visit the locations, even if they do not reside in the town or city where the testing is being conducted. The statewide seven-day average percent positivity rate for COVID-19 was 1.67 percent of individuals tested, as reported on Monday, March 8.
Residents of the state may visit the following website to find testing locations: 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 the same site.
