December 8th, 2021
The kits are being provided to local municipalities and school districts and will be provided at no charge to residents in coming days.
Monroe County Executive Adam Bello, along with community leaders today announced the county has started distributing 750,000 at-home rapid COVID-19 test kits so residents can better protect themselves and their families this holiday season.
“We are doing what few municipalities have done to quell the spread of COVID-19: we are providing free rapid test kits to our residents,” said County Executive Bello. “We are not just making these tests available; we will flood the community with them. Working with our towns and villages and the City of Rochester, we are going to distribute half a million tests in the coming days. Another 250,000 tests are going to our school systems, who will then have the opportunity to distribute their supply to their students and families. I thank Congressman Joe Morelle and Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand for their leadership in securing the federal dollars to make this effort possible.”
On Wednesday, municipalities and school districts began picking up their allotment of test kits at the county’s Fleet Center in Chili. The partner municipalities will distribute the kits free of charge to members of the public. For more information about how to receive the kits, contact your town or village.
“Reliable, accessible COVID-19 testing is critical to keeping our friends, family, and loved ones safe as we continue to fight the pandemic,” said Rep. Joe Morelle. “I am proud to have secured funding through the CARES Act to support this investment and deliver at-home testing kits to thousands of Monroe County families, providing another tool to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and ensure peace of mind as we head into the holiday season. I am grateful to County Executive Adam Bello for his steadfast leadership throughout this crisis and his commitment to supporting families across our community.”
The county purchased the test kits with $7.5 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funds.
“From the start of this pandemic, I believed that government needed to do more than mandate what you couldn’t do,” said County Executive Bello. “We owe it to residents to show them what they can do to keep themselves and their families healthy. I want to give our residents the knowledge and tools to proactively manage the pandemic.”
Contact tracing data from the county’s Department of Public Health shows that the virus that causes COVID-19 is largely transmitted at the workplace, at large indoor gatherings and at family gatherings and events.
“For those who are planning to gather over the coming weeks, consider using these tests before doing so,” said Bello. “They are quick, easy and in 15 minutes, you can have the peace of mind knowing you won’t be spreading COVID at a gathering or in the workplace.”
Directions are included with each kit, and tutorial videos are available online. An online fact sheet on test kit use will be available on monroecounty.gov.
The Department of Public Health requests that anyone using the tests who receives a positive result immediately begin isolation, contact their doctor and report the result to the health department via monroecounty.gov or by calling (585) 753-5555. Negative test results do not need to be reported.
County Executive Bello continues to urge members of the community to receive a COVID-19 vaccination if they haven’t already, get a booster shot if needed, wear a mask or face covering when visiting indoor public spaces, wash their hands and stay home if they are sick.
Appointments for vaccinations and boosters at county-run clinics are available on monroecounty.gov and by calling (585) 753-5555.
