PHILADELPHIA—The Philadelphia Department of Public Health has launched a new program for distributing free rapid at-home COVID-19 testing kits. Testing kits are being made available to event organizers for distribution to attendees to either be used before or after a special event that’s taking place in Philadelphia. Test kit distribution will be prioritized for events that are either in areas of Philadelphia that have suffered disproportionately from COVID, have a high number of people who are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 infection, or present a high risk for COVID-19 transmission.
“There are strategies you can use to help protect yourself, your friends, and your loved ones from COVID-19,” said Coleman Terrell, Director of the Health Department’s Division of Disease Control. “If you’re going to an event where there may be people who are at a higher risk of severe COVID, you should get tested before you go. People who test positive for COVID should not go to these types of gatherings. If you attend a gathering where you may have a high risk of being exposed, you can test 3 – 5 days afterwards, and if positive, contact your doctor to see if antiviral treatment is an option and take precautions to prevent further spread to you loved ones.”
Event organizers can request two tests per guest and are required to pick them up from the Health Department upon approval. They must distribute them to guests in the manner described in their application. The application also asks if organizers would like test kit instructions in other languages and/or surgical masks.
Event organizers are encouraged to apply online for their upcoming events as soon as possible, as they can expect up to two weeks for review and distribution of test kits. Not all applicants will be approved to receive testing kits, based on the stated priorities
The Health Department has at least 20,000 tests available for this program and may allocate more depending on the success of this program.
The Health Department has published a blog post on the special event testing kit program for sharing with the public. The public can apply directly using the special event testing kit program link.