Modesto giving away 200 rapid, at-home COVID-19 test kits to its residents
Modesto is providing free rapid, at-home COVID-19 tests to city residents for as long as the supply lasts.
The city received 360 test kits Monday from Stanislaus County, part of more than 22,000 test kits the county has received from the state.
Deputy City Manager Caluha Barnes said Modesto will make 200 of them available to city residents. She said residents can pick up test kits at the human resources department on the second floor of Tenth Street Place, 1010 10th St., in downtown.
Human resources is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays but is closed Friday for the holiday. Residents can check on whether test kits are available by calling human resources at 209-577-5402 during business hours. They can leave a voicemail after hours for a return call the next business day.
Barnes said people who want test kits will need to provide proof they live in Modesto. She said a driver’s license or rental agreement or utility bill will work. She said the test kits are limited to one per person and a maximum of five per household.
The city is keeping 160 of the test kits for its own uses, Barnes said. That includes providing them to city employees, to police officers to give to homeless people, to City Council members to give to their constituents, and to nonprofit agencies that serve disadvantaged community members.
The state has been sending thousands of rapid test kits to counties in hopes of keeping the omicron variant from getting out of control in California. The antigen tests provide fairly reliable results in 15 to 30 minutes and are a quick way to find out if a person is screening positive for COVID.
The Stanislaus County Health Services Agency has more information about how to get a COVID-19 test at www.schsa.org/coronavirus/testing.
This story was originally published December 28, 2021 at 4:01 PM.
