Walk-In COVID-19 Testing in Boston Shuts Down Early Due to High Demand

Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, ended walk-in testing for COVID-19 four hours early on November 23, as a blocks-long line was seen outside the Boston facility three days before Thanksgiving.

“Due to high demand and long wait times at our COVID-19 testing center, we will not be able to take any further walk-ins today for COVID-19 testing as of 2pm,” the medical center wrote in a tweet on Monday afternoon. The testing facility is normally open till 6 pm.

Over the weekend, local residents reported lines that snaked around several blocks, and waits of more than three hours. The medical center also shut down testing early on November 21.

This footage, taken on November 23 by Lauren Shull, shows a line that had formed that morning. Shull said there’s usually a queue outside Tufts Medical Center for testing, but it had never been as long as what she saw in the week before Thanksgiving.

As of November 19, Boston had recorded 24,360 confirmed cases of COVID-19. At least 892 deaths have been tied to the coronavirus. Credit: Lauren Shull via Storyful