MA Coronavirus: In Some Cities, Anyone Who Wants A Test Gets One

Mike Carraggi
Updated ·2 min read

MASSACHUSETTS — State health officials on Tuesday reported 1,840 confirmed coronavirus cases and 150 new deaths, bringing the total number of cases to 58,302 and total number of fatalities to 3,153. There were 9,613 tests performed, bringing the total to 254,500.

  • There is now a new date for the beginning of the state's potential reopening. Gov. Charlie Baker extended the stay-at-home advisory and nonessential business closures to May 18, after which a "phased reopening" could potentially begin. Here's who is going to help decide the reopening.

  • Any Malden and Everett resident over the age of 8 can get tested for the coronavirus at no charge. Cambridge Health Alliance has opened a testing center at the CHA Malden Care Center. Starting Wednesday, people from Malden and Everett will be able to get tested regardless of insurance or immigration status. People can get tested via drive-thru or on foot. Results will be available in five days.

  • Earlier this week, Somerville announced expanded testing options. This will happen in three phases: drive-thru testing at Somerville Hospital is opening to non-Cambridge Health Alliance patients, followed by walk-ups and bicyclists in the Crown Street parking lot and the opening of a satellite location in East Somerville.

  • Massachusetts would need to conduct 30,000 coronavirus tests per day to safely lift orders on social distancing and businesses closures after May 1, according to a study released Monday. That's more than double than the 14,614 the state conducted on April 23, its most active day of testing. On Monday, the state conducted 8,787 tests for the new coronavirus, bringing the total number of tests to 244,887.

  • Some key Massachusetts leaders are pushing for a vote by mail initiative that would allow voters in the state to mail in their ballots for this year's fall elections. Congressman Joe Kennedy and Attorney General Maura Healey joined advocates on a video conference Tuesday, calling for ballots to be sent to every registered voter in the state.

  • There's one garbage idea that's working out. A new group was founded recently in Framingham to recruit local residents to pick up litter along local streets and in neighborhoods. The Clean Up Framingham Facebook group has exploded since its founding on April 21, adding more than 400 members from across the region after just one week.

This article originally appeared on the Boston Patch