Biden administration to send free COVID tests to schools nationwide this winter

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- In another effort to get Americans to test for COVID-19 this winter, the Biden administration announced it would begin distributing tests for free to all school districts nationwide.

Schools will be able to place orders for the tests, with deliveries arriving within about two weeks of ordering.

In a letter sent by the Department of Education, they urged schools to use the tests to try to contain the spread of COVID in the winter months.

"While the COVID-19 virus can be found year-round in the United States, infection rates are typically higher during the fall and winter months," wrote Roberto J. Rodríguez, assistant secretary at the Department of Education.

"These self-tests are easy to use and can play an important role in preventing the spread of COVID-19," Rodríguez added.

The department encouraged schools to use the tests to "stock school nurses' offices and main offices with tests; to send test kits home with students or parents; or to distribute by other means to put these valuable safeguards in the hands of students, parents, and staff who need them."