Biden administration to send free COVID tests to schools nationwide this winter

(NEW YORK) — In another effort to get Americans to test for COVID-19 this winter, the Biden administration announced it would begin distributing tests for free to all school districts nationwide.

Schools will be able to place orders for the tests starting in early December, for delivery within about two weeks of ordering.

In a letter to schools Wednesday, the Department of Education urged schools to use the tests to try to contain the spread of COVID in the winter months.

“While the COVID-19 virus can be found year-round in the United States, infection rates are typically higher during the fall and winter months,” wrote Roberto J. Rodríguez, assistant secretary at the Department of Education.

“These self-tests are easy to use and can play an important role in preventing the spread of COVID-19,” he said.

The department encouraged schools to use the tests to “stock school nurses’ offices and main offices with tests; to send test kits home with students or parents; or to distribute by other means to put these valuable safeguards in the hands of students, parents, and staff who need them.”

The announcement comes just over a week after the administration opened up the free COVID test website for another round of ordering to all American households. The tests are all coming from the government stockpile.

The test ordering site now offers an additional four tests per household — or eight tests per household for anyone who hasn’t placed an order yet this fall.

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