Sudbury school boards team up to offer rapid COVID-19 testing

Sudbury's four school boards are joining to offer rapid COVID-19 testing for asymptomatic students, staff and their families.

The Conseil scolaire catholique Nouvelon, Rainbow District School Board, Sudbury Catholic District School Board and Conseil scolaire public du Grand Nord de l'Ontario are co-ordinating the clinics with the Ministry of Education, the boards said in a press release issued Tuesday.

The tests will be administered by a third-party service provider. Positive results from the rapid tests will be referred to the assessment centre for further testing and to Public Health Sudbury & Districts for follow up.

The program is voluntary, and participants can schedule an appointment online. Walk-ins will be accepted on a limited basis, the boards say, and students under 18 years of age will require parent/guardian consent for testing.

The school boards are expected to be sharing the dates, times and locations of the clinics with their respective school communities.

The boards also said that clinics will be open to families who have children in childcare and before and after school programs at the testing sites.