Government affairs

In early January, the Biden Administration announced that it would partner with the Postal Service to mail free, at-home rapid Covid-19 tests to Americans in an effort to make testing accessible to families amid a shortage of testing options in communities nationwide.

On Jan. 15, the administration said that four days later it would launch covidtests.gov, where each household can request up to four free tests, which would be expected to ship within 12 days. The tests will be sent through First Class Package Service, and the administration plans to prioritize distribution to communities that have limited access to testing and that also are high-risk.

Five hundred million tests will be made available on Jan. 19, and the White House plans to procure an additional 500 million at-home tests, bringing the total number of free tests being made available to one billion. The White House also plans to launch a call-in line for households to request these tests. This number has not yet been made public.

“The ongoing pandemic has proven beyond a shadow of doubt the critical importance of the services we provide six and seven days a week to keep people connected and essentials moving,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said. “This partnership is the perfect example in action. Letter carriers are proud to be the face of this important initiative as we continue serving all communities equitably.”