GREENFIELD — State and local health officials are urging anyone who has recently been involved in a large gathering to get tested for COVID-19.

“Gatherings add risk,” said Dr. Andrew Artenstein, chief physician executive and chief academic officer at Baystate Health. “Statistically, you’re more likely to encounter someone who’s been infected.”

Following weeks of protests all across Massachusetts, the state announced it would offer free testing this week at as many as 50 sites across Massachusetts — including one at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield — to anyone who had recently taken part in a large gathering.

In Franklin County, as many as 2,000 people participated in a protest in Greenfield on June 6 in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. An equal number or fewer have participated since then in several other demonstrations, protests or rallies organized in the surrounding communities.

“One of the things we do know … is that yelling, singing and chanting are also ways in which droplets can be spread, similar to coughing and sneezing,” said Phoebe Walker, director of Community Services at the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG), which promoted on its Facebook page the state’s two days of free testing.

On Wednesday, Baystate Health administered 650 tests to people across all six of its testing locations, and as of Thursday morning it had already booked 500 appointments, Artenstein said.

“A vast majority (of people) appear to … have been involved in one of those gatherings,” Artenstein said, referencing the recent protests in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

Though he didn’t have a breakdown of the number of tests per site, he said a large portion of testing took place at Baystate Franklin Medical Center’s testing site at the Big E in West Springfield.

He also noted that from what he has seen in news coverage so far, most people at the protests and other large gatherings wore face masks. He acknowledged, however, the difficulty in social distancing in many of those settings.

“But there was at least the acknowledgement and the recognition that there’s more risk than under normal conditions,” Artenstein said.

That’s why getting tested for the disease is critical, he added.

Artenstein said it is important for people to know if they are sick, not just for themselves and their loved ones, but for the benefit of society. A positive test result can let a person know to isolate and prevent further spread.

“That will reduce the overall footprint in Massachusetts, which is our goal overall,” he said.

As of Thursday, the most recent data available by press time, there have been 356 total cases in Franklin County, a number that has held relatively steady since June 13.

Artenstein said Western Massachusetts appears to be in a “quiet period,” but that doesn’t mean the risk is gone, especially as the economy starts to reopen.

“What we’ve done is we’ve taken great steps to reduce the risk, but … until you have herd immunity or a vaccine … it’s going to be with us,” he explained. “It’s going to be circulating at various levels and we just have to keep the risk at bay.”

Those steps include wearing masks, washing hands and keeping 6 feet apart.

Walker noted there are a number of options for those who missed the opportunity for testing offered by the state this week.

“People can still get tested pretty much five days a week at the hospital and the Community Health Center, either in Greenfield or in Orange,” she said. “If someone wasn’t able to make it to one of these sites, they should not think they’re options don’t exist.”

As of Thursday, Baystate Health had tested a total of 18,980 individuals, 1,867 of which came back positive and 341 of which are still pending results, according to a statement from the health care system.

Walker said testing allows for public health nurses in each community to get a jump on contact tracing — a key part in preventing the spread of the disease.

“Even though cases are small (in Franklin County), nurses are constantly checking and immediately checking up on any new case,” Walker said.

She said “beating” COVID-19 is possible, but it will be a slow process.

“It requires people to be comfortable with wearing masks and not touching their faces,” she said. “And if they can work from home, working from home.”

Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 263. Twitter: @MaryEByrne