More Coronavirus Testing Part Of Cape Cod Reopening Plan
BARNSTABLE, MA — As Cape Cod slowly reopens amid the coronavirus pandemic, a task force is looking to expand testing throughout Barnstable County.
The Cape Cod Reopening Task Force, which includes state, local and health officials, identified having more testing as an important factor in making the region safe for residents and tourists.
"As Cape Cod continues to reopen, residents and seasonal visitors alike need ready access to testing to stay healthy, protect their loved ones, and limit the spread of COVID-19," said State Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Truro.
Cyr said Barnstable County remains well below the state's testing goal of 20 percent of the population. As of June 3, just 6.6 percent of the county's year-round population has been tested. Cyr said the county plans to launch a mobile testing program in partnership with Cape Cod Healthcare and the Hyannis Fire Department.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Outer Cape Health Services in Harwich, Wellfleet and Provincetown provided testing for asymptomatic residents. The three sites were part of a larger statewide push to provide testing to residents who attended large gatherings or protests in recent days and weeks.
Task force officials said Outer Cape Health Services will continue to offer Covid-19 testing at its Provincetown health center on Saturdays and at its Wellfleet health center weekday afternoons. These appointments are open to all but require a screening assessment by an Outer Cape Health Services provider and are not free. Gov. Charlie Baker's executive order making all COVID-19 related testing and medical care a covered benefit by all health insurers in the Commonwealth remains in effect.
Cape Cod Healthcare will continue to operate a mid-Cape facility, but the location will move from Cape Cod Community College to Cape Cod Healthcare’s Hyannis campus. Next week, Cape Cod Healthcare plans to open an additional testing site at Falmouth Hospital to serve the Upper Cape.
Officials said this new site will provide 20 additional hours of testing capacity to the region. Any person with a physician’s order can get tested at a Cape Cod Healthcare site, and Cape Cod Healthcare has opened a hotline to provide testing options to those without a primary care referral.
"We’re working hard to ensure people know that we have additional capacity, exceptional quality, and we’re here to help," Cape Cod Healthcare CEO Mike Lauf said.
Lastly, the Cape Cod Reopening Task Force, Cape Cod Healthcare, the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment, and the Hyannis Fire Department are working to receive state approval and an allotment of testing kits and materials for a mobile testing program.
"We hope to develop the capacity to respond quickly in cooperation with local boards of health to a COVID-19 outbreak, should one surface in anywhere in the region," Cyr said. "The mobile testing program is designed to provide testing capacity at workplaces bearing a higher risk of an outbreak, such as restaurants and hotels.”"
More details will be made available if the program is approved by the state COVID-19 Command Center.
This article originally appeared on the Barnstable-Hyannis Patch
