Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist is pictured Wednesday afternoon handing out at-home COVID-19 test kits. The city received 500 of the kits, which included two at-home COVID tests, a face mask and hand sanitizer. P-J photo by Eric Tichy

At-home COVID-19 test kits and face masks are being given to local municipalities for distribution to area residents. The effort comes as Chautauqua County has been averaging more than 260 new confirmed cases of the virus each day.

In Jamestown, 500 test kits were available to city residents at a number of distribution points Wednesday. The first, at James Prendergast Library at 1 p.m., saw a line of about two dozen people seeking the kits, which included two at-home COVID tests, a face mask and hand sanitizer.

“It’s really important now that people are able to have testing at their home and other locations as the nation is experiencing a shortage of test kits,” said Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist, who helped Wednesday to hand out the kits. “We’re really excited to be partnering with the county, New York state as well as the Resource Center, who actually provided masks to add to our test kits to make sure that people are able to have tests on hand so they can get tested at home quickly and they’re not waiting for days to get results.”

The kits were also being made available Wednesday and Thursday at the following locations:

• JCC Back Parking Lot near Science Building: Drive-thru pickup available Wednesday from 3 to 4 p.m.

• Persell Middle School, Baker Street Bus Loop: Drive-thru pickup available Wednesday from 5 to 6 p.m.

• Christ First United Methodist Church: Drive-thru pickup available Thursday from 3 to 4 p.m.

• Allen Park Ice Rink Parking Lot: Drive-thru pickup available Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m.