MILTON, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — As Milton slips back into the "red zone" for Covid-19 transmission and cases continue to rise, officials are extending the town's free testing program.
According to the weekly Covid-19 dashboard from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the "red zone" indicates a community that is at the highest level of risk for transmitting the virus.
Town Administrator Mike Dennehy said there has been a "very large demand" for testing amid the town-wide surge in cases, and more than 18 hundred tests have been administered in the past month alone.
He added that his board decided to expand the town's free testing program, that uses funds from the federal CARES Act.
"There is a need for it," Dennehy said. "I spent some time in Randolph and witnessed their community event and the demand that was there, so my board was adamant and unanimous, that this not only be given to Milton residents, and people don't have to have symptoms."
Anyone who wants to get a test can visit the field house at Milton High School on Tuesday, Dec. 29 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m to access the site.
Officials also closed town hall to the public for a week to respond to the surge, and have shut down playground equipment, fields and courts until further notice. Dennehy said the measures are part of a "coordinated effort" to fight the virus in the community.
"Even the new normal is becoming the new normal every week," he said. "The virus is in our community, we're aware of that, we're just trying to take every step, which is very necessary."
WBZ NewsRadio's Chris Fama (@CFamaWBZ) reports.
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