BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Mayor Marty Walsh has announced a new COVID-19 testing site for no cost, no insurance, and regardless of symptoms.
The Strand Theatre, which is located at 543 Columbia Rd. in Dorchester, will now be offering walk-in testing to anyone.
Testing is conducted by Brookside Community Health Center, in partnership with Brigham & Women's Hospital, Upham's Corner Community Health Center and Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center.
Mayor Walsh said he believes having a testing site that is accessible to all in an area that has heavily been impacted by COVID-19 is crucial for slowing the spread.
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“Our Dorchester zip codes continue to have some of the highest COVID-19 positivity rates in our City,” Boston’s Chief of Health and Human Services Marty Martinez said.
Currently, Dorchester has a community positivity rate of 10.9% (02122, 02124) and 10.1% (02121, 02125) while the city positivity rate is 7.2%.
Testing at the Strand Theatre is open on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The testing will occur in the theatre’s back parking lot at a mobile van. Individuals can enter the theatre through the main entrance and wait in line inside. There is no public parking available.
Walsh said he is proud of the city for using this "beloved cultural institution" as a space to help the community.
The City of Boston is working alongside community health officials to increase accessibility to testing in neighborhoods with high positivity rates.
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Written by Edyn Jensen
(Photo: Getty Images)