BOSTON (WHDH) - Time is running out to pick up an at-home COVID-19 test ahead of Christmas.
In Boston, libraries that have been handing out free at-home tests will be closed Friday and Saturday.
The city is urging people to call ahead if they plan on trying to get a test on Thursday.
“I wound up looking around for a test two weeks ago now and I guess it’s good to have a couple in the house just in case because you don’t know who’s got it,” Tommy Lo said while picking up a test.
The effort to distribute the test kits have extended throughout the state.
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The tests are in high demand in Quincy, where people waited in long lines Wednesday in hopes of getting their hands on one.
Quincy Health Commissioner Marli Caslli says they handed out 600 tests that afternoon and that they were gone within an hour.
“We did our best to distribute them throughout our partners,” he said. “We were expecting the rush but we were also very surprised for this location.”
A similar scene played out in East Boston where people also stood in line to get a free at-home test.
People say these tests are giving them peace of mind as they get ready to gather with loved ones.
“I’m going to (take the test) right before I go to the event instead of having to wait a day or two for test results,” Mark Bruggeman said.
The distribution of at-home tests has not stopped people from swarming in-person testing sites.
People waited to get swabbed for any traces of COVID-19 on Paris Street in East Boston and say the wait to get tested in-person was worth it.
“I have family members that I still live with that are immunocompromised so I wouldn’t want to risk it,” Renata DaSilva said while waiting to get tested.
People can find an in-person testing location by visiting the state’s website.
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