Are you beginning to feel sick? Do your symptoms seem to line up with COVID-19’s? Worried that your half-hour trip to the supermarket last week might have exposed you? If you’re concerned that you might have coronavirus, there are a few places you can get tested for free in Puerto Rico. Although most of the free tests are rapid diagnostic tests—in which results are delivered in an hour or less—and results may need to be confirmed subsequently with a molecular test, it’s certainly better than risking running around infecting everyone. Here’s a short list of some places where you can get tested during the following weeks.
- Trujillo Alto
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Citizens of Trujillo Alto will be able to check their status with one of 2,400 free coronavirus tests, from December 9 to 16, at el Parque Ecuestre Familiar. To get tested, call the municipality’s helpline via 787-761-0172 and mark one of the following extensions: 2188, 2189, 2190 and 2192. The switchboard will only operate from 9 am to 1 pm; alternatively, you can register with your name, phone number, birthdate and physical address at citascovid19@trujilloalto.pr.
- Department of Health’s Municipal Investigation and Contact Tracing System
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The Municipal Investigation and Contact Tracing System (SMICR-PR, in Spanish) is an initiative by Puerto Rico’s Department of Health that seeks to keep track of coronavirus outbreaks and provide data to determine the current challenges regarding the virus. SMICR-PR also coordinates free COVID testing days that don’t require proof of physical address or any other documentation—you just need to show up on time to get your test via drive-through.
Those of you who’ve been in contact with the virus or who suspect they’re infected can go to one of the following testing spots:
Saturday, December 12th, from 10 am to 4 pm
– Gurabo: Parque Evaristo Varo Roldán
– Naranjito: Escuela Ocupacional Rubén Rodríguez Figueroa ‘’Vocacional’’
– Loíza: Paseo Julia de Burgos, Barrio Pueblo
Sunday, December 13th, from 8 am to 5 pm
– Bayamón: Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez
Monday, December 14th, from 10 am to 4 pm
– Adjuntas: Coliseo Municipal de Adjuntas
Results are usually delivered through a phone call, text message or email between 15 and 20 minutes after getting tested. SMICR-PR is constantly updating their events calendar to ensure people all over the island have access to free testing. If these options aren’t viable for you, make sure to follow them on social media for their updates on the next testing days. To contact them, call 787-765-2929, extension 3459.
Although there aren’t many accessible options at the moment, if you urgently need to get tested, the Department of Health also has a list of labs that have rapid tests available for a fee. You can check those out here.
For now, the best you can do is to keep using your mask, stay socially distanced, limit the amount of times you interact in high-risk situations, and get tested whenever you’ve been put into serious risk. Above all, take care of yourself—the vaccine is on the way.