Bill Amended to Provide $250,000 for Mobile Testing Program

Cape and Islands State Senator Julian Cyr.

HYANNIS – The State Senate has voted unanimously to approve a bill which will provide funding for municipalities and organizations to assist in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Included in the bill was an amendment co-sponsored by Plymouth and Barnstable State Senator Susan Moran and Cape and Islands State Senator Julian Cyr that would provide $250,000 in funding for Barnstable County to establish a mobile COVID-19 testing program.

“I want to thank my colleagues in the Senate for recognizing the importance of this amendment to my constituents and Barnstable County as a whole,” said Moran.

“Expanding access to reliable COVID-19 testing is of the utmost importance as we continue the process of re-opening on Cape Cod. This testing program will allow residents and visitors to confidently visit our communities and patronize our businesses so that Cape Cod can re-open stronger than ever.”

Moran and Cyr’s amendment allocates $250,000 to the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment to establish a mobile COVID-19 testing program on Cape Cod.

As part of the initiative, county officials will work with local fire departments, emergency medical services, community health centers, and Cape Cod Healthcare to develop and execute the mobile testing program.

The bill is expected to provide a cohesive and comprehensive approach to testing across the county.

A portion of the funding may also be used at the county’s discretion to subsidize the cost of testing individuals.

“I continue to be impressed by what Susan Moran has been able to deliver for Cape Cod in her short tenure in the state Senate,” said Cyr.

“The funding Senator Moran secured in the supplemental budget will allow for a timely expansion of testing capacity in the region. It is critical that we get this infrastructure in place as we continue to reopen and welcome additional seasonal residents and visitors to our communities.”

The bill will now be reconciled with the version passed by the House of Representatives and sent to Governor Charlie Baker for his approval.

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