HARTFORD, Conn. — Just days out from Christmas, COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Connecticut with Tuesday's positivity rate sitting at 8.98%.
"Our community is experiencing a surge in cases, a surge in higher test positivity the virus is circulating and we really need everyone to do their part," Liany Arroyo, health director for the City of Hartford, said.
State officials said that means residents should get tested before seeing family and friends.
Both unvaccinated and vaccinated people are urged to take the precaution, especially if they have recently been exposed to COVID-19.
"We're really encouraging our community to go out and get tested. This is a big holiday for us, it's on a Friday and Saturday and so we know there's going to be lots of families getting together especially after last year not being able to celebrate in the same way," Arroyo added.
In Hartford, there are several sites open every day of the week at pharmacies, hospitals, health centers and right in people's neighborhoods.
A state sponsored site at the corner of Albany Avenue and Woodland Street drew in a crowd of people looking to be safe before the holidays.
"This is the first time I got tested, I never was exposed and I didn't have any problems so I didn't have to get tested until now," Joanne Yurson, of Windsor told FOX61.
"There was a huge outbreak at my school at the end of the semester so in order to keep my parents and my family safe during the holidays we've been getting tested every day since I got back," Siobhan Boyle, of West Hartford said.
Boyle said it is a privilege that not everyone has.
"The systems in place right now for testing don't make that possible for a lot of people," she added. "And we're lucky because we have a lot of time on our hands during the holiday season to go and wait in these lines and I think it should be a lot easier for people to test themselves at their homes with reliable tests."
In response to the Omicron variant, President Biden announced a plan for the government to provide 500 million free rapid home test kits to expand testing efforts. It is something officials said will help with that same goal in Connecticut.
"It's I think an important part of the next phase of the pandemic and being able to control spread," Arroyo said.
This week, Gov. Ned Lamont also announced the state will be increasing capacity and expanding hours at certain test cites. There are about 400 test sites around the state currently.
Gaby Molina is a reporter and anchor at FOX61 News. She can be reached at gmolina@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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