Coronavirus Drive-Thru Test Site Opens At Riverside MBTA

NEWTON, MA — A drive-thru coronavirus testing site opened at the Riverside MBTA station parking lot on Grove Street Monday.

The $80 PCR tests, with results back within 36 hours, are available to anyone older than 2. Those interested in the tests do not need a physician’s referral, but they do need to book an appointment.

"Having a site close by is great as we continue to see escalating case numbers in Newton," said Mayor Ruthanne Fuller in a statement. "Access to testing is another beneficial tool in breaking the chain of virus transmission."

CIC Health, which is operating the testing cite, is using PCR tests that will be processed at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Although the tests aren't covered by insurance yet, the company is working on that, according to the mayor.

The City of Newton Health and Human Service staff is working on an arrangement with CIC Health that will enable our HHS team to provide vulnerable clients working with city social workers access to necessary testing at the Riverside site.

Free tests are available without a physician’s referral at state Stop the Spread sites. (Framingham is the closest.) The Stop the Spread sites do not take appointments and lines can be long.

The CIC Health testing site at Riverside will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. They are starting with 120 appointment slots daily, and will be adding more testing capacity in the coming weeks.

"We’ll be keeping a close eye to make sure their plan to move cars quickly into the parking works well and does not create traffic issues on Grove Street and our neighborhoods," Fuller said.

CIC Health launched its first public testing site in late October in Kendall Square in Cambridge. Since then, CIC Health opened 13 sites in Vermont and one in Providence, RI, facilitating nearly 300,000 COVID-19 tests.

Read more: Newton Public Schools To Offer Free Coronavirus Testing For Staff

CIC Health is also working with Health and Human Services and the Newton Public Schools on a voluntary testing program for teachers and staff working in-person in our school buildings.

To make an appointment to be tested at cic-health.com.