Town of Simsbury to Distribute Free COVID Tests to Residents

The Governor’s Office recently announced that the State of Connecticut will begin allocating free at home COVID-19 test kits to residents. Each municipality will be responsible for distributing the tests to their residents. At this time, the State did not provide Simsbury with enough test kits for each household. A second phase of distribution is expected to come from the State at a later date for the school system.

Simsbury residents interested in picking up free at home test kit(s) can receive them at the Simsbury Public Works Facility, 66 Town Forest Road, on January 3^rd at 9:00 AM and running until 2:30 PM, while supplies last. In case of inclement weather, the Town is planning a back up date of Tuesday, January 4^th.  

Town staff will be conducting a drive through distribution system to get test kits to our residents in a fair and safe manner. You should enter Town Forest Road via Stratton Brook Road to help keep traffic flowing. During the distribution, Town Forest Road will be closed to thru traffic; access to Tootin’ Hills School or Town Forest Park can be made from West Mountain Road.  Town Officials are encouraging residents to use other parts of town for recreational purposes during this distribution time.

Simsbury residents will be able to receive up to 2 test kits per vehicle (each kit contains 2 tests). Home test kits are most appropriate for testing individuals that are exhibiting symptoms. The Farmington Valley Health District has provided the following information to consider when using home tests: a positive test should be treated as a positive test and the individual should isolate, and conduct contact tracing. A symptomatic individual with a negative home test should use precaution to reduce the risk of spreading illness and seek a PCR test. Positive individuals that complete their isolation and meet the time and symptom-based clearance criteria do not need a negative test to return to work (employees are encouraged to consult with their employers for return to work policies); more information can be found at www.fvhd.org.

To be eligible to pick up a test kit you must be a Simsbury resident, with proof of residency. Samples of acceptable proof of residency include: drivers license; passport; utility bill; etc. Post Office boxes do not­ qualify as proof of residency.

Due to the amount of kits anticipated to be received by the State, this is a one day only event. Towns are not expected to receive KN95 masks from the State until January 6^th or later. This is an evolving situation. As we continue to receive new information from the State, the details of above are subject to change.