California’s 7 million students and school employees are getting free at-home COVID-19 tests to help prevent outbreaks at their school when they return from spring break.
The state has shipped or delivered more than 14.3 million antigen tests, enough for two tests per person, to counties and school districts as part of a massive push to limit infections and avoid classroom closures after the break,The strategy is part of the state’s "endemic" approach to the coronavirus, emphasizing prevention and quick reaction to outbreaks over mandated masking and business shutdowns.
UNITED STATES - DECEMBER 30: COVID-19 antigen rapid test kits are pictured in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, December 30, 2021. "California is focused on keeping schools open and students safe, and we’re not letting our guard down," Newsom said in a statement. "We know that COVID-19 is still present in our communities, but the SMARTER Plan is how we keep people safe and continue moving the state forward," he said, referring to the state’s acronym for a strategy that calls for shots, masks, awareness, readiness, and testing.