COVID-19 testing site for first responders opens at Gillette Stadium

About 200 tests will be administered for free each day in the parking lot of the stadium

April 06, 2020 11:56 AM

Drivers line up for a coronavirus test at a site in a parking lot at Gillette Stadium, Sunday, April 5, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. The site, which opened Sunday, is designated specifically for first responders who may have been exposed or are showing virus symptoms.

Scott J. Croteau
MassLive.com, Springfield, Mass.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The first responders testing center at Gillette Stadium opened in Foxborough on Sunday as state officials work to have testing available for those on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The opening of the center comes as the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department also announced the creation of an 84-room First Responder Recovery Home for frontline workers diagnosed with COVID-19.

The testing site at the Gillette Stadium parking lot is open to first responders including firefighters, police, hospital workers, EMTs and paramedics. Those front-line workers showing symptoms can get tested for free with an appointment.

Baker has said 200 tests will be done daily at the stadium parking lot, which is home to the New England Patriots.

The Kraft family already used the Patriots private plane to carry more than 1 million protective masks from China to Boston on Thursday in a cooperative effort with Baker’s office.

There is also a testing center for first responders at Suffolk Downs in East Boston.

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