Marlborough Urges Coronavirus Tests Ahead Of School Reopening

MARLBOROUGH, MA — Marlborough Superintendent Michael Bergeron is urging students and parents to take advantage of free local coronavirus testing before the school district returns to hybrid learning after winter break.

A cohort of students in grades 3, 8 and 12 will start hybrid learning on Feb. 22. All Marlborough students have been learning remotely since the fall. The hybrid return coincides with the end of the Presidents Day week vacation.

Bergeron highlighted that families need to follow the state's travel order. It deems that anyone who travels outside the state needs to either quarantine for 10 days or produce a negative coronavirus test result upon returning.

"If you are traveling over the February vacation, please follow the advisory and test before returning to the classroom," Bergeron said in a message to parents this week. "If testing results are delayed for a day or two, please do not send your students to school while you are waiting for results."

Marlborough now has two free coronavirus testing sites through the state Stop the Spread program:

New England Sports Center, 121 Donald Lynch Boulevard

Testing by Marlborough Hospital at this site runs 8 a.m. to noon each weekday. The testing site is closed on weekends, and will be closed on Presidents Day.

Royal Plaza Trade Center at Best Western, 181 Boston Post Road

This site, run by AFC Urgen Care, is open weekdays 10 a.m .to 4 p.m. and weekends 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Coronavirus cases in Marlborough have begun to fall in recent days. The citywide positive test rate was 7 percent as of Wednesday, and the new daily case rate was 35 per 100,000 residents. One week ago, the positive test rate was at 8.4 percent, and new daily cases were at 57.3 per 100,000.

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