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Amid ongoing supply strains and logistical hurdles that limit coronavirus testing, that routine may sound like a fantasy. But TestBoston -- a project now being launched by Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Broad Institute — plans to offer such at-home testing to thousands across Greater Boston in the coming months, at no charge. (Goldberg, 10/6)

An analysis by Northeastern University researchers and colleagues finds that in crowded cities — like Boston — coronavirus epidemics not only grow bigger, they also tend to last longer. The paper, based on data from Italy and China, looks at how quickly an epidemic peaks depending on how crowded a location is. (Goldberg, 10/6)

New York will re-shutter schools, some non-essential businesses and large gatherings in a swath of New York City neighborhoods that have seen coronavirus spikes — after days of disjointed messages from city and state leaders about how they would address the autumn surge. The plan released by Gov. Andrew Cuomo Tuesday afternoon largely mirrors that laid out by Mayor Bill de Blasio two days prior. Instead of using the nine ZIP codes where Covid-19 cases are surging as boundaries, Cuomo's plan involves color-coded maps — an attempt at more precision to spare certain businesses but which initially drew a flurry of questions and confusion. (Gronewold and Durkin, 10/6)

Washington, D.C., reported 105 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, the highest daily total for the city since early June. The spike comes amid an outbreak at the White House, raising questions about whether cases there are seeding the spread of the virus in the surrounding city. D.C. has been averaging about 40 new cases per day, according to the Covid Tracking Project. A D.C. official said Tuesday that it is not clear whether the outbreak at the White House is the cause of the increase in cases. (Sullivan, 10/6)

As President Trump returned from the hospital, still telling Americans not to be afraid of Covid-19, the coronavirus has exploded in North Dakota. In the past week, North Dakota reported more new cases per capita than any other state. Hospitalizations for the virus have risen abruptly, forcing health care officials in some towns to send people to faraway hospitals, even across state lines to Montana and South Dakota. (Tompkins, 10/7)

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has contracted coronavirus -- reportedly along with more than 1,800 state employees under his purview -- after declining to issue a statewide mask mandate during the pandemic. Parson's office confirmed in a statement on Monday that he and his wife, Teresa Parson, had tested positive for the virus on Sept. 23 but have since fully recovered and returned to their regular schedules. (Jacobo, 10/6)

Ten days after Gov. Ron DeSantis moved Florida into Phase 3 of reopening -- lifting capacity limits on restaurants and other businesses -- there has been no detectable increase in the spread of coronavirus in the state. The Department of Health’s report Monday showed an increase of 1,415 cases -- the lowest daily increase since June 10 and the fifth time in the last 10 days the state’s caseload has been under 2,000. The state’s rate of positive COVID-19 testing also remains low -- 3.93% on Sunday. The state’s positivity rate has been below 5% for 12 days in a row. (10/6)

A boil-water notice was lifted Tuesday from the drinking-water system of a Houston-area city where water tainted with a deadly, microscopic parasite was blamed for the death of a 6-year-old boy. In a statement, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said Lake Jackson officials lifted the notice Tuesday after disinfectant levels in the drinking water were documented to be above the state requirements. Also, water samples tested negative for harmful bacteria. However, the TCEQ urged users of Lake Jackson’s water to avoid getting it up their noses to reduce the risk of infection by the brain-eating microbe naegleria fowleri. (10/7)