SAUGUS — The state has announced it is extending operations of Saugus’ Stop the Spread COVID-19 test site at Square One Mall indefinitely.
The site was originally only scheduled to operate through Jan. 15.
“It’s great that they’re going to keep the site open,” said Town Manager Scott Crabtree. “The state indicated to the Health Department that they were going to keep it open as long as they could. Those are their plans at this point.”
Saugus has remained consistently in the state’s high-risk category for virus transmission since August — a fact Crabtree previously attributed to the town’s close proximity to more populated cities, as well as its busy commercial industry along Route 1, where businesses often see hundreds of patrons on any given day.
“Saugus obviously has its challenges because we’re surrounded by communities that are red and are more densely populated,” Crabtree told The Item in August. “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.”
Since March, Saugus has reported a total 3,060 cases of COVID-19 within the community, including 58 deaths.
Due to a recent surge in cases among younger residents, the School Committee voted unanimously last week to keep the district’s students in remote learning indefinitely, rather than have them return to their brick and mortar classrooms on January 19 as originally planned.
“Obviously testing is just one part of the strategic plan of slowing the spread of the virus,” Crabtree said. “Testing, combined with following the CDC and Mass Department of Public Health guidelines, is the key to doing that.”
Fallon EMS at the Square One Mall, located at 1201 Broadway with entry off of Essex Street, will offer free drive-through testing for Saugus residents Monday through Saturday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
All samples go directly to the Broad Institute in Cambridge for immediate testing with a 24 to 48-hour turnaround time.
Notification of negative test results will be made via email, while phone calls will be made for positive results. No appointment needed. Residents can register using a tablet when they arrive. Most sites will close in rainy weather due to risk of test contamination.
