- Starting March 8, the U.S. government will suspend orders for free coronavirus tests by mail.
- Households can request a test through the U.S. Postal Service until March 8 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.
- The Office of Strategic Preparedness and Response has distributed more than 1.8 billion tests through COVIDTests.gov and other channels.
The U.S. government has suspended mail-order sales of free COVID-19 tests, at least for now.
Friday, March 8th is the last day households can request free virus tests delivered through the U.S. Postal Service. The order is scheduled to end at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time, according to the Office of Strategic Preparedness and Response, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“ASPR has provided more than 1.8 billion free COVID-19 tests to the American public through COVIDTests.gov and direct distribution channels, and continues to provide millions of tests each week to long-term care facilities, food and beverage facilities. We will continue to distribute to banks, health centers and schools,” an ASPR spokesperson said in a prepared statement sent to The Associated Press.
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The government’s mail-order sales of free coronavirus tests have previously been suspended or expanded. Despite Friday’s suspension, it is still possible that the program will be restarted again in the future, and ASPR says it reserves the right to continue using COVIDTest.gov if needed.
A U.S. government website appears on a computer in Walpole, Massachusetts, on January 19, 2022, showing a page where people can order free at-home COVID-19 tests. ing. On March 8, 2024, the U.S. government will suspend mail-order orders for free COVID-19 tests. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
The Biden administration first launched free mail-order coronavirus testing in January 2022. The program was most recently restarted last September, and households were able to order the latest tests starting in November.
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ASPR noted that the decision to suspend ordering for the sixth round of the program was taken amid a decline in case rates from the winter respiratory season.
Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the respiratory virus outbreak had likely passed its peak following a spike in December, but still urged caution.
