RI Officials Closing 6 School and Child Care COVID-19 Testing Sites
GoLocalProv News Team
RI Officials Closing 6 School and Child Care COVID-19 Testing Sites
The announcement comes as Covid ActNOW has increased RI's level to "high."
Last month, the RI released a plan to support full in-person learning for the fall. School-based testing is a crucial component of that plan. Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and schools will have opt-in choices for how to design and resource their testing plans. Options will include symptomatic testing, outbreak testing, and asymptomatic testing. RIDOH and the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) will support LEAs and schools as administrators develop their COVID-19 testing programs.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIn September 2020, the State opened a network of testing sites exclusively for school and child care communities to support the return to in-person learning and child care. While six of these sites are closing, five school and child care testing sites will remain open. Rhode Island has 14 additional fixed testing locations, and Rhode Islanders can also get tested in retail pharmacies, respiratory clinics, the offices of primary care providers, and at mobile and pop-up testing opportunities. To be responsive to potential increases in the demand for testing, Rhode Island will maintain significantly more testing capacity than is currently being utilized.
Saturday, July 31st, will be the last day for COVID-19 testing at the following locations:
Bristol Stop & Shop Parking Lot: 605 Metacom Ave.; Bristol, RI 02809
Cranston Stop & Shop Parking Lot: 275 Warwick Ave.; Cranston, RI 02905
Lincoln YMCA Parking Lot: 32 Breakneck Hill Rd.; Lincoln, RI 02865
Providence Stop & Shop Parking Lot: 850 Manton Ave.; Providence, RI 02909
Smithfield Fidelity Investment Headquarters Parking Lot: 100 Salem St.; Smithfield, RI 02917
Westerly Walmart Parking Lot: 258 Post Rd.; Westerly, RI 02891.