SAUGUS — Saugus will extend operations of its COVID-19 test sites through January 15, 2021, Town Manager Scott Crabtree announced Thursday.
AFC Urgent Care, located at 371 Broadway, and Fallon EMS at the Square One Mall will continue to offer residents free COVID-19 tests through the beginning of next year as part of Saugus’ partnership with the Commonwealth for the state’s Stop the Spread initiative, which aims to help mitigate the spread of the virus in high-risk communities.
The announcement comes one day after the town was once again upgraded from a moderate-risk to a high-risk community on the state’s coronavirus map, which tracks case rates in communities based on their average daily incidence rate over the previous two weeks.
As of Oct. 15, the Massachusetts Department of Health (MDPH) has notified the town of 766 confirmed cases of COVID-19 within the community, including 42 deaths.
“We need to do whatever is necessary to keep ourselves, family, neighbors, and communities safe.” Crabtree said. “Please continue to wear your masks, wash hands, avoid gatherings, and continue to follow the CDC and MDPH guidelines.”
A press release from the town stated that the Board of Health and the Saugus Health department have continued to work with the state to develop planned responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that both Saugus and the state will continue to analyze data from previous weeks to combat the virus’ spread by using additional enforcement and intervention measures.
The Saugus Health Department added it strongly believes there to still be unrecognized cases in the community and has urged residents to follow Gov. Charlie Baker’s directives to practice social distancing, avoid gatherings, and wear a cloth face cover when around others.
Crabtree told The Item in August that Saugus faces a unique situation compared to its neighboring high-risk communities.
“Saugus obviously has its challenges because we’re surrounded by communities that are red and more densely populated,” he said after the town received its first high-risk classification last summer. “We’re also pretty transient in the sense that we have a lot of visitors here because of Route 1 retail and restaurants. That poses a unique challenge for Saugus because of the fluctuation in population during the day.”
AFC Urgent Care is currently offering free testing by appointment on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Residents can register online at afcurgentcaresaugus.com, or call (781) 233-1000 for more information.
Fallon EMS at the Square One Mall, located at 1201 Broadway with entry off of Essex Street, will continue to offer free mobile drive-up testing Monday through Saturday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. No appointment needed – residents can drive up and register using a tablet when they arrive.
The site will be staffed by a team of 10 to 12 individuals, and all samples go directly to the Broad Institution in Cambridge for immediate testing. Notifications of results will be made within 24 to 46 hours.
For more information, residents can contact the Saugus Health Department at (781) 231-4117, or the Town Manager’s office at (781) 231-4111.
