DENVER – Going to a concert soon? Forgot to buy a COVID-19 test on your last grocery run? Need one for work purposes? The state of Colorado will now be sending these rapid antigen tests for free – all you have to do is sign up.
During a news conference Tuesday, Gov. Jared Polis announced the state had purchased 2 million BinaxNOW rapid antigen tests to help identify new cases of the novel coronavirus earlier and stop the spread of COVID-19 as the state deals with a fifth wave of the virus ahead of the winter season.
Here’s how to sign up:
1. Go to the state’s Rapid At-Home testing program website to enroll. You’ll have the option to choose whether you want to enroll in the program for yourself and your family or for your organization.
2. Make sure you to fill out the form. You do not have to identify with any the categories listed in the form to be eligible. Make sure you select the most appropriate for you or your family.
3. After you fill out the form, you’ll be asked to verify if you’re a current resident of Colorado and will be told to wait for an email from the state that wll have instructions for how to order your test kit.
Signing up to receive these free tests for organizations is a bit different, as employers will be required to submit the number of test kits they think they’ll need.
For individuals wanting to get these free tests, the state will be sending four BinaxNOW test kits, with each kit including two tests, for a total of eight tests per month. If you want more tests to be delivered to your home, you’ll need to reorder them each month, as they do not automatically ship on a monthly basis.
During Tuesday’s news conference, Polis said that after people sign up, they can expect to get these tests delivered to their homes within four to six days.
Once you have your test results, you are asked to follow these instructions on how to interpret your results and what next steps to take if you test positive.
Colorado continues to offer free voluntary COVID-19 testing to all K-12 schools across the state to avoid disruptions to in-person learning as pediatric cases of the novel coronavirus continue to increase. Our partners at The Denver Post report only 22% of Colorado's more than 2,000 K-12 schools have enrolled in the program.
