BEAT COVID-19 Ramps Up Testing in Pawtucket/Central Falls

Initiative will work with neighborhoods at risk.

Residents asked to call 855-843-7620.

Pawtucket Mayor Donald R. Grebien and Central Falls Mayor James A. Diossa, and the BEAT COVID-19 initiative remind residents that coronavirus is still present in their neighborhoods. The BEAT COVID-19 initiative is expanding to provide free testing for symptomatic and asymptomatic residents who live in neighborhoods where COVID-19 infection has been common in the past, and for people who work in high risk occupations or have had recent contact with people who are positive for COVID-19.

“The BEAT COVID-19 initiative has assisted hundreds of residents in Pawtucket and Central Falls, and we are looking to do more,” said Mayor Donald R. Grebien. “As the economy reopens and people are out and about, it is important that we continue to take the proper precautions to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe from the virus. Providing testing to asymptomatic residents is something both cities have been requesting for several weeks, and we thank the RI Department of Health for helping us make this possible.”

“Even though there are fewer cases of COVID-19 statewide, we all need to be careful and make sure that we continue to follow the recommendations from the Department of Health and the BEAT COVID-19 initiative,” said Mayor James A. Diossa. “I would like to thank both communities for their patience and dedication to safety during this pandemic and am pleased that asymptomatic testing is now available in our communities that were heavily impacted by the disease.”

“We have been amazingly successful in reducing the number of new people being infected,” said Michael Fine, M.D. “Now we want to get rid of Covid-19 altogether by making sure people continue to wear masks, providing testing for people the moment they experience their first symptom, and supporting people who are positive during their period of isolation.”

The BEAT COVID-19 initiative is a one-of-a-kind grassroots system to give people with symptoms in both Pawtucket and Central Falls – who otherwise might not feel comfortable getting tested or have access to a primary care doctor – access to information about how to be safe while sick and protect their family and community, testing, and resources to overcome hardships associated with the coronavirus pandemic.

Any resident who experience loss of taste and/or smell, fever, a bad cough, or other symptoms are urged to call 855-843-7620 as soon as those symptoms begin. People who are exposed to someone with COVID-19, work in a high risk occupation, or live in a neighborhood that has had many people infected should call   855-843-7620 today to schedule an appointment for a free coronavirus test.