Cove Island Park COVID-19 Test Site Closes; New Location Opens

STAMFORD, CT — Since Sema4's contract to provide COVID-19 testing services to the state of Connecticut has ended, the testing site at Stamford's Cove Island Park has closed.

A new state-sponsored site, run by Progressive Diagnostics, will open on Tuesday at St. Mary's Church in the Parish Office, located at 566 Elm St.

The site will be open Monday through Friday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Insurance is required if you have it, and walk-ins are accepted.

Stamfod's Acting Health Director Jody Bishop-Pullan said she expects the new location to accommodate the current demand for testing. She said numbers are down more than 50 percent from a month ago when residents were looking to get tested ahead of the holidays.

The surge in demand also coincided with the spread of the highly contagious omicron variant.

Around Christmas, traffic and long lines snarled the area around the original Sema4 site at Stamford High School. Looking for more space, the city moved operations to Cove Island Park, but the site was constantly shut down and re-opened daily because of capacity issues.

But in the last few weeks, another new site opened up in the city's South End on Canal Street, and COVID-19 cases have been declining. Home tests have also become more prevalent.

"Testing is running smoothly. There aren't long wait times," Bishop-Pullan said. "We're comfortable with our capacity right now."

Home test kits and masks are available from the city for those with disabilities or those who cannot leave home. For more information, call the Stamford Citizens Service Bureau at 203-977-4140 or order through FixIt Stamford.

For more information on COVID-19 testing in Stamford, go to the city's website.