A new pop-up testing center for COVID-19 was set to open in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood Wednesday amid widespread protests over the death of George Floyd.
The free testing site, opened by the city in cooperation with the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, opens at noon in Washington Park Mall and closes at 7 p.m. It will be open the same hours Thursday.
The city is urging people who've participated in the protests to get tested. So far, there's been no increase in cases tied to the marches. But health experts will be watching what happens over the next week or so to see what happens.
"We're encouraging if you've been in large groups and you've been rallying or demonstrating and raising your voice to go get tested and keep yourself safe and those around you safe," Boston Chief of Health and Human Services Marty Martinez said.
The protests have been held outside and lots of people have been wearing masks, which all helps. But staying six feet apart is tough in these situations.
"People are moving around at these protests, many of them are in motion," said Dr. Nancy Krieger of Harvard Epidemiology. "They're not stationary, standing still, packed together in one place for a long period of time."
Boston is offering COVID-19 testing in over 20 locations across the city. The entire list testing sites can be found here.
