CARMEL – Putnam County will offer free rapid Covid testing for residents starting Monday, December 27, County Executive MaryEllen Odell announced.
The Covid tests will be offered to the public on a walk-in basis at the former Dress Barn in Putnam Plaza in Carmel seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Starting the following Monday, January 3, testing will be also be offered on a walk-in basis at the Philipstown Recreation Center seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Also starting on Monday, January 3, both sites will be open exclusively to school children from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. on weekdays only. The children must attend schools in Putnam County.
The testing plan is the result of a public-private collaboration. “Time is of the essence when it comes to Covid testing and since the state is not offering a testing site anywhere in our region, we had to be proactive and find a way to establish our own site in Putnam County,” Odell said.
She said the county healthcare providers are “overwhelmed with the current demand for testing” with some residents waiting days to access tests. “The county’s expanded partnership with Ambulnz allows us to set up rapid test sites on both sides of the county as soon as December 27.”
In addition, the County Department of Health announced that in the new year, local school districts will have the opportunity to implement Test to Stay (TTS), a serial testing strategy that enables close contacts to avoid school quarantines. Local implementation plans and policies must align with the guidance from the state health department and are still being developed.
For more information about Test to Stay, the CDC studies can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/transmission_k_12_schools.html.
