(Updated 3:24 p.m. Jan. 13 — The state Department of Public Health found on Jan. 12 that the Massachusetts testing locations were performing tests without state approval, and have issued cease and desist letters to all three sites in the state, aided by municipal health departments.)

DARTMOUTH — A COVID testing site in Dartmouth run by a privately owned Illinois-based company with an alert and F-rating from the Better Business Bureau has been shuttered by the town's Board of Health.

At around noon on Thursday, a "closed" sign on the door and a Dartmouth police officer posted outside the Center for COVID Control at 331 State Rd. let would-be patients know that testing would no longer be taking place.

A police department spokesperson said the request for assistance came from the Board of Health, and board officials could be seen outside the storefront, which had a temporary banner announcing free COVID tests.

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Earlier in the day, a post from the Dartmouth Police Department on Facebook warned residents to "remain diligent" when choosing testing sites and providing personal information.

 

The alert from the Better Business Bureau regarding Center for COVID Control notes that the organization is "actively looking into this company as they have recently received numerous complaints both locally and from across the country."

Kate Robinson/Townsquare Media
Kate Robinson/Townsquare Media
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According to the BBB, the COVID testing company is less than one year old and has been unresponsive to numerous complaints passed on from the board.

"Consumers allege problems with not receiving test results, poor customer service, and requesting personally identifiable information (driver’s license, insurance, etc.)," the BBB notice reads.

Complaints on the bureau's website allege that patients are required to submit photos of their identification, and that many are left waiting days or weeks for test results, if they get results at all.

A Dartmouth Board of Health official said that a comment on the closure is forthcoming.

The testing company has not yet responded to a request for comment.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has also received numerous complaints about the Center, which also operates sites in Needham and Worcester.

Massachusetts residents are encouraged not to visit the Center for COVID Control for COVID-19 tests.

The BBB notes on its website that the federal Food and Drug Administration is warning people about fraudulent COVID tests, vaccines, and treatments since the arrival of the omicron variant.

Hundreds of authorized testing locations across the state, including COVID-19 rapid antigen tests, are widely available at local pharmacies or online.

For more information, visit mass.gov/gettested.

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