Community Corner

Worcester Hosting Free Coronavirus Test Event At City Hall

Worcester has been hosting popup coronavirus testing events across the city in recent weeks.

A coronavirus test event at City Hall begins at noon on Aug. 14.
A coronavirus test event at City Hall begins at noon on Aug. 14. (Neal McNamara/Patch)

WORCESTER, MA — Worcester will host a free coronavirus testing event at City Hall on Friday featuring giveaways and even flu vaccines.

This will be the third one-day testing event in Worcester this month. Previous events were held in the Main South neighborhood and at Worcester Technical High School. Out of 680 tests taken at the Main South event, 4 were positive and 632 were negative, according to the city.

But Worcester has seen an uptick in cases recently. On Aug. 5, city officials reported 97 new cases — the largest weekly jump since early July, and the third consecutive week when cases rose. The city has counted 5,577 positive cases since the pandemic began.

At Friday's event, attendees will get a cloth mask and hand sanitizer with each test. There will also be a gift card raffle, and free boxes of produce for the first 75 in line. Bring a health insurance card to get a free flu vaccine.

The event, sponsored by the city and UMass Memorial, runs from noon to 6 p.m. at 455 Main St.