The season of free COVID tests from the US Postal Service comes to a close Friday. The dedicated USPS site for ordering free COVID-19 rapid antigen tests from the government added an ominous notice on Monday: The site will stop accepting orders for COVID-19 tests on March 8.
Read more: Are Your COVID Tests Really Expired? How to Find Out
This announcement comes on the heels of the CDC shifting its official COVID isolation guidelines. Instead of the typical five-day isolation period, the CDC now recommends that you be fever-free and see your symptoms improve for 24 hours before returning to your normal activities.
Read on to find out how you can order your free COVID tests through the USPS, learn about other ways you can get free COVID testing once the program comes to a close and how to get your hands on free treatments and vaccines.
For more, here’s what to know about long COVID, and here’s how to tell if it’s COVID, allergies or something else.
What is the free USPS COVID-19 test program?
In January 2022, President Joe Biden announced the launch of CovidTests.gov, a website where households could order four free rapid antigen COVID-19 tests shipped by USPS. The site added several more free tests through the months of 2022, and then again this past winter, starting on Sept. 25, 2023.
The addition of four more free tests on Nov. 20 brought a total of eight rapid antigen tests per US household in the latest batch for this winter season. If you haven’t ordered any tests from the latest batch, you can receive all eight if you order them from the Postal Service by Friday, March 8.
Unlike some complicated government applications, ordering free tests from the Postal Service is simple. It takes less than two minutes to complete a short form that asks for your name and mailing address, and the tests ship in a week or two. People without internet access or folks who have trouble ordering online can request tests using a toll-free phone number: 800-232-0233.
How do I order free COVID tests from the Post Office?
You only need to provide a few bits of information to get your free COVID tests. You won’t be asked to provide any credit or debit card details, as both the tests and the shipping are free. Here’s how to get your at-home rapid antigen test kits.
1. Visit special.USPS.com/testkits. You can also get there via covidtests.gov.
2. Enter your contact details and shipping information.
3. Click Check Out Now.
4. Verify that your information is correct and select Place My Order.
All orders will be shipped via First Class Package Service.
Again, people who can’t access the website or who have trouble ordering online can call 800-232-0233 to order their free tests.
When will my test kits arrive?
Tests are typically sent out within seven to 12 days of an order being successfully placed and are delivered by the Postal Service within one to three days of shipping.
What are my other free testing options?
Aside from the tests from the Postal Service, you have three main avenues to find free COVID-19 testing locations across the US: HRSA health centers, Test to Treat locations and ICATT testing sites. These options function similarly, but we’ll break down the specific steps to find your nearest free testing location.
HRSA health centers offer free COVID-19 testing
The Test to Treat program makes COVID testing and therapeutics more accessible.
Test to Treat is a federally funded health care initiative that provides more accessible COVID-19 care. This option differs from the others in this article as you can use the Test to Treat centers to receive both COVID testing and treatment for infections. Like the other COVID-19 free testing options, Test to Treat has a locator tool that you can use to find an eligible Test to Treat center near you.
The Test to Treat center locator works like the other COVID testing search tools. Enter your location into the search bar and the tool will display Test to Treat locations in your area. A sliding bar lets you resize the search radius to capture all of the Test to Treat centers within your area.
Within the Test to Treat locator results, you’ll be able to see each location’s address, which COVID-19 therapeutics they offer and other special instructions you might need to know to get tested. If there’s not an option to schedule a COVID test online through your chosen site, you may need to call.
