A group of physician/scientist parents from Newton have been working together with several neighboring towns to develop a Covid surveillance testing program. Surveillance testing is a supplement to school reopening public health measures such as hand washing, face coverings and social distancing. In particular, surveillance testing aims at detecting and acting on any silent (asymptomatic) viral outbreaks much earlier than would be possible without testing.

As a partner in these Collaborative efforts, the group believes Newton can, and should, develop our own Covid testing pilot program, as teachers and students return to schools this month and next. They will shortly be conducting a survey to assess parents’ interest in Covid testing, and will provide a link to that as soon as it goes live.