POUGHKEEPSIE – Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro announced on that residents can obtain a COVID home test kit and KN95 masks at a drive-thru event on Sunday. The February 6th event at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck is operating from 11 a.m. to 1 pm.
There will be a limit of two test kits per vehicle. Each kit includes two individual tests and are available for Dutchess County residents only on a first-come, first-served basis.
Residents are encouraged to check the county’s website, dutchessny.gov, or Facebook page prior to arrival for updates regarding weather and supplies. Updates will be posted on the county’s Facebook page when supplies run out.
In recent weeks, at-home COVID-19 test kits have become much more readily available. In addition to Sunday’s event, test kits are also available:
- during normal hours of operation for its COVID-19 testing site and its vaccination site at the former JCPenney location at the Poughkeepsie Galleria, 2001 South Road in Poughkeepsie as well as in Dover at the former CVS store location at 3081 Route 22, Dover Plains.
- through local towns, villages, and cities, which have received allocations from Dutchess County; residents can contact their municipality for specific information about their respective distributions;
- from the federal government through covidtests.gov; orders are expected to ship through the U.S. Postal Service 7-12 days after they’re received; and
- at retail pharmacies, purchases are covered by or will be reimbursed through health insurance.
An informational flyer, outlining how residents are to report a positive result from an at-home test, will accompany each test kit that Dutchess County distributes. Residents who receive a positive result from any at-home COVID-19 test must:
- Immediately self-isolate, even if they are vaccinated; adhere to current quarantine guidance; and
- Take a picture of the positive at-home test result within 24 hours and report the positive case to the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral and Community Health at dutchessny.gov/COVIDpositive
The county has added additional information to its COVID-19 Dashboard. Current data on infection rates, vaccination rates, and more county-specific information can be found by clicking HERE. As of February 1st, there were 731 active COVID cases in Dutchess County.
Residents can find comprehensive information about COVID-19, including testing, vaccinations, prevention, and more, at DutchessNY.gov/Coronavirus or by calling the COVID information line at 845-486-3555.
