Hartford Healthcare

Coronavirus Testing Expands as Thanksgiving Travel Gets Underway

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Experts are not expecting holiday trips to be as busy as usual amid warnings to keep festivities small this year.

Still, many are scrambling to get tested before gathering with family including those arriving at Bradley International Airport on Sunday.

Those coming from hot spots across the country must quarantine or get tested under the state’s travel advisory.

“We’re definitely getting tested once we get home. We all made appointments with our doctors’ offices. We’re all going to get tested, quarantine until our results come back,” said Rachel Obas of Danbury.

Obas said she’s following the rules, plus the advice to scale back Thanksgiving.

“Very small, just the six of us. Maybe five of us. But usually, it’s 30, 35 of us. We had to cut it down a lot because of the virus,” said Obas.

Thanksgiving is especially important for Shannon Hunt who has a baby due then.

“First things first, get here, be safe, get tested, from there, isolate with them until the baby is born,” said Hunt.

Right now, passengers can get tested at a site in the terminal.

Starting on Monday, Hartford Healthcare will open a drive-thru testing site in an airport parking lot that will be open to travelers and the general public.

You can find the airport’s drive-thru testing site in Parking Lot 3, southeast of the terminal near the car rental lots.

It will be open from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m.

On Sunday, about 500 people lined up for free testing at Rockville High School in Vernon.

“I think going into the holiday weekend, there’s a lot of people that want to get tested and it’s important we keep a wide availability of testing,” said Vernon Police Lt. William Meier.

While authorities say testing is important, that alone will not keep people safe.

“There is a big fear we might have a spread event during Thanksgiving as people get together. And what the health officials have been telling us is most of the community spread right now is happening in small family gatherings,” said Meier.

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