Overcrowding at Melrose free Covid-19 testing site forces officials to hold another day of testing

MELROSE, Mass. — So many people tried to get tested for COVID-19 in Melrose on Friday the city will be offering testing again Saturday.

“Since 12:30 pm we’ve been in line,” said Melrose resident Betty Fondulis who waited almost 4 hours to get tested. “It’s a long time. I guess we will make it home for supper or no?”

The long line to get free tests comes after at least one Melrose High School student tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday.

“We are taking great pains to not identify the person who is positive,” said Melrose & Wakefield health director Ruth Clay. “We will not identify how many people, the sex of the people the age of the people.”

However, if the Health Department identifies you as a close contact to someone positive, they will contact you. Mayor Paul Brodeur says it's all to see how widespread the problem is.

“We are here to figure that out,” said Brodeur. “That’s what the purpose of the testing is because in a perfect world testing is a part of controlling this.”

Organizers say they chose this site because it is centrally located and handles traffic flow well. And because of all these people, they say they will be back tomorrow.

"The turnout has been fantastic," said Clay. "The waiting has been longer than we would like so we will do it again tomorrow so if people do not have to wait as long."

So same time, same place: at the Melrose Middle School/High School complex from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Many of the folks in line say they chose this free testing site because it was close to home.

“I didn’t realize it was going to be that long but we might as well take advantage of it,” said Fondulis.

If you come, organizers ask you to wear a mask, stay inside your car and don’t bring pets. The turnaround time on the tests is 24-48 hours.

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