Newtown Postpones Distribution Of Coronavirus Test Kits: Update

NEWTOWN, CT — Newtown was scheduled to distribute 3,400 free coronavirus test kits to residents on Friday, but the event has been postponed, officials announced.

"Unfortunately as you may have seen in the press, the test kit delivery to the State of CT has been delayed," Newtown officials said in a statement Thursday afternoon. "As such, we have not received the kits and we are not able to distribute on Friday December 31st as planned. We know this has been challenging for everyone, we appreciate all the support and patience that we have received for a not-ideal situation.

"If you had already registered, we have your email and we will be sending out a communication to you.

"We will reschedule as soon as we have confirmation of when materials will be received. It is our hope that it will be on the weekend but we are unable to commit to a day yet. We expect registrants to stay in their same time block, and they will not need to sign-up again.

"We will communicate news about additional test kits and masks coming in to the community in the coming days and/or weeks when we receive it.

"If you haven’t already, please sign up for News and Announcements on the Town of Newtown website, visit newtown-ct.gov and on the lower right hand side of the page click on Subscribe to Our Mailing list where you can enter your email address and select the type of info you would like to receive. At a minimum check News and Announcements."

The kits are being distributed to help reduce the spread of the Omicron variant and to supplement existing testing, according to officials.

"Primary focus is on the members of the public who have interacted with or who intend to interact with others whose COVID status may be unknown. Additional tests will be provided to school districts in early January."

To receive a free kit (which contain two tests), you must register in advance by clicking here.

"Each household can receive a maximum of two kits (note that each kit has 2 tests in it for a total of 4 tests per household)," officials said. "If you only need one, please only take one. Duplicate appointments will be canceled."

For more information, click here.