The Town has received a limited supply of home COVID-19 test kits, and we are in the process of distributing those test kits to partner organizations that will help get these kits into the hands of our town’s most vulnerable populations.
BEFORE YOU CONSIDER ACQUIRING A HOME TEST KIT FROM THE TOWN, PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING:
If you are feeling ill in any way, we encourage you to stay home to the greatest extent possible. The test kits that the Town of Winchester is distributing are very limited and should go to individuals that do not have a way to isolate themselves easily.
If you have the means to do so, please visit another testing site instead of relying on the Town’s distribution of home test kits. The test kits that the Town is distributing are very limited in number and should go to individuals that do not have another way to acquire a test kit easily or safely.
OTHER TESTING OPPORTUNITIES:
If you have the means to do so, please pursue other testing opportunities and keep our batch of home tests available for those who truly need them! Tests can be scheduled on the CVS or Walgreens websites, and Community Health & Wellness currently has walk-up (no appointment needed) testing opportunities at the following locations/times:
Torrington Location (469 Migeon Ave, Torrington, CT 06790), Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays, 9am – Noon.
Winsted Location (10 Center St, Winsted, CT 06098), Thursdays, 9am – Noon.
THE TOWN’S HOME TEST KIT DISTRIBUTION:
The Town has only received 720 test kits – just a little over half the number that the State told us we should expect to receive, and it’s only about enough to provide tests to ~7% of the Town’s population. These tests are a very limited and precious resource, and thus there are strict guidelines in place for their distribution. Test kits will be distributed to our partner organizations by tomorrow (Tuesday, January 4, 2022). Test kits will ONLY be distributed to individuals given the following conditions are true:
- The individual seeking a test is a resident of the Town of Winchester, CT or is a staff member of one of our identified partner organizations working on essential and safety-related operations.
- The individual has either (A) been exposed to COVID-19 five to seven days ago or (B) is expressing symptoms of COVID-19.
Please note that our partner organizations will only be distributing test kits to very specific populations – please read through the list below:
Winsted Senior Center: Residents who are age 55+ and meet the criteria listed above will be eligible to receive a test kit on a first-come, first-serve basis while supplies last.
Winsted Salvation Army: Only regular clients of the Salvation Army’s Food Pantry will be eligible to receive a test kit on a first-come, first-serve basis while supplies last.
Open Door Soup Kitchen: Only residents regularly attending the Open Door Soup Kitchen will be eligible to receive a test kit on a first-come, first-serve basis while supplies last.
Winsted YMCA: Only clients of the Winsted YMCA’s housing programs will be eligible to receive a test kit on a first-come, first-serve basis while supplies last.
Senior Housing Facilities: A limited number of test kits will be made available to residents of the town’s Senior Housing facilities on a first-come, first-serve basis while supplies last.
The Town is also distributing a very limited number of test kits to the Winsted Area Child Care Center, the Department of Public Works, the Fire Department, the Police Department, Winchester Public Schools, the Gilbert School, the Explorations Charter School, and the Winsted Ambulance Service to help protect our front-line workers and emergency responders to keep our town running smoothly.
Test kits will be distributed to our partner organizations by tomorrow (Tuesday, January 4, 2022). The Town does plan to make a public distribution to other residents in the future, on the condition that the State distributes more tests to municipalities, but Winchester has not received enough test kits from the state to make a larger public distribution happen at this time. Please stay tuned for information about future distributions. In the meantime, if you are in dire need of a test and are not eligible to receive one from one of the locations listed above, please seek out a test from CVS, Walgreens, or Community Health & Wellness.
Questions can be directed to Town Manager Joshua Kelly at townmanager@townofwinchester.org.