PORTLAND, Maine — COVID-19 tests are tough to find in Maine as we enter the holidays.
Most airlines require people to present a negative test result within three days of departure, but each has its own rules.
Appointments for tests are scarce, and some locations have temporarily stopped allowing walk-ins. The Portland Jetport testing site offers options both for travelers and the general public, but travel testing appointments are limited, now only available after Christmas, a spokesperson told NEWS CENTER Maine. He said testing for the general public is booked through January 3.
Tests through a state-sponsored site, such as the Jetport, are free. Book your test here.
Another common option is buying a self-test you can perform at home, but those have been hard to find as well.
"Those at-home antigen tests are really hard to find, and they sell out within minutes," Andrew Filippi said, who was getting his test at the Jetport before seeing family for the holiday. "My parents are obviously older, so I don't want to give it to them because I don't know how they're going to react."
Pharmacies are limiting how many kits, such as Binax Now tests, customers can purchase. CVS limits buyers to two kits per household. Walgreens limits customers to four kits per household.
"I try to pick up a few every time I go to the drug store because they sell out so fast," Leanna Boucher, a vet tech in Portland, said.
She said supplies are short where she lives in Freeport. She relies on getting tested before gathering to protect her sister who has an immune disorder.
"It's really important that I know I'm negative so if I see her I don't have the risk of exposing her because she would be in the hospital a lot longer than I would," Boucher said.
"We know that tests are hard to come by. We acknowledge that, but they are available. Maybe short-lived, but if you see them, grab them, because testing before you head out the door, before you hop in the car to go to that party or go to church, that's a way to keep everyone there really safe," Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Nirav Shah said during Wednesday's statewide COVID-19 briefing.
The advice for securing your test? Book appointments in advance.
"With these pop-up sites coming available, I think it's really easy to find a test, you just have to plan in advance and book in advance," Filippi said.