Coronavirus Testing Sites Will Shrink In Marlborough, Framingham

MARLBOROUGH, MA — As coronavirus cases surge across the area, several of the state's Stop the Spread sites in Marlborough and Framingham will close this month, dropping from five to two.

The testing site reductions come after Gov. Charlie Baker touted an expansion of the Stop the Spread program on Monday. The state has expanded testing sites in western Massachusetts, but it appears testing sites in southern Middlesex County are being consolidated.

On Monday, Framingham officials said the Stop the Spread sites at the TJX headquarters and the South Middlesex Opportunity Council will close by the end of the week. In Marlborough, an AIDS Project Worcester testing site will end on Dec. 17.

The state has opened a new site in Framingham, but anyone who wants a test will have to make an appointment online first. The other two sites offered either walk-up or drive-up testing without an appointment. Framingham Health Director Samuel Wong said Wednesday the state has committed to keeping the new site open for the "foreseeable future beyond December."

A drive-thru Marlborough Hospital testing site at the New England Sports Center will remain open past December, but only until Jan. 15.

"We are working to extend free testing beyond January and will update our residents when we have additional information," Mayor Arthur Vigeant said in a news release Tuesday.

Baker's office did not return a request for comment about the Stop the Spread reductions in Marlborough and Framingham. Marlborough officials could not immediately say why the state is reducing the number of local sites.

AFC Urgent Care is operating a test site at the Best Western Trade Center in Marlborough, but it's only free for Marlborough residents and employers. Anyone else will need to pay either through health insurance, out of pocket or through an employer.

Milford health officials have been asking state officials with help getting a test site, but have been told getting a Stop the Spread site is unlikely. Town officials were advised to use federal stimulus money to pay for tests for residents, according state Rep. Brian Murray.

There's also a network of private testing sites at CVS, Walgreens and urgent care facilities across the region. However, not all the sites offer free testing for people without insurance, and almost all require visitors to make an appointment first. Some local towns, including Hopkinton, Sudbury, Sherborn and Ashland, don't have any test sites, according to the state Department of Public Health.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the Marlborough Hospital site was appointment-only.