Beginning today, public school staff members who are not fully vaccinated must submit to weekly testing unless they qualify for a temporary waiver on the basis of having had COVID-19 within the prior 90 days. Please note that educators hired before Sept. 27 who choose weekly testing over vaccination do not have to apply for vaccine exemptions. If your district is suggesting otherwise, please contact your UniServ Rep.
No-Cost Testing Facilities
There are locations that will provide COVID testing without out-of-pocket costs, but you must use the correct state-supported testing sites.
- The State Department of Education and the Department of Public Health have stated, “Persons being tested for COVID-19 at State Supported Testing Sites will be asked for their insurance information but there will be no out-of-pocket expenses. Additionally, if their insurance does not pay, the individual will not be billed. Note: If individuals do not have insurance, they will be tested and not billed at any of these State Supported Testing Sites.” State-supported Department of Public Health testing sites can be found at https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SDE/Digest/2021-22/State-Supported-Testing-Sites.pdf.
- You may also find testing sites near you by calling 211 (be sure to specify no-cost testing when you call) or by visiting https://www.211ct.org/. You must do an advanced search for locations that offer testing with no out-of-pocket costs, as not all of the sites listed offer no-cost testing. To do an advanced search, go to https://www.211ct.org/search and click on the “Show Advanced Filters” button, which allows you to search by criteria such as “no cost to customers.”
Q&A
CEA has compiled answers to frequently asked questions regarding COVID Vaccination, Testing, and Masking mandates. Read the FAQs.
