County to Provide At-home Rapid Test Kits to Targeted Groups Through Partnerships with Community Organizations

For Immediate Release: Monday, December 13, 2021

Montgomery County officials announced recently that rapid, at-home COVID-19 test kits received from the Maryland Department of Health will be used to increase COVID-19 testing access for specific groups in the County and health officials will be working with community organizations to distribute them. The County has identified groups who have an increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 or decreased access to available test sites because of their occupation, such as food service workers and construction workers; their vaccination status or live in areas with lower vaccination rates; limited access to other testing resources due to access to health care, transportation, or work hours; and those with decreased access to other testing resources. due to a physical or developmental disability.

Montgomery County received approximately 10,000 test kits from the State in late November; and, up to now, has been distributing them at County-operated testing sites. Beginning Dec. 13, the kits will be distributed to specific groups.

“As we have done throughout the pandemic, we are working hard to make sure the test kits are available to residents who live in communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 illness and deaths, as well as workers who regularly interact with large numbers of people in the community, some who are not vaccinated,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “Going into the upcoming holidays, quite frankly, our path forward is going to be determined by how well we can vaccinate against, test for, contain, and mitigate this virus. By procuring and distributing more rapid tests throughout the community to those who need them most, we will help keep everyone safer.”

“Testing remains a vital tool in preventing the spread of the virus,” said Dr. Raymond Crowel, director of the County’s Department of Health and Human Services. “Rapid test kits can make a difference for residents who have difficulty making it to our testing sites.”

The at-home test kits may not be accepted for those who require:

• routine employment testing,
• pretravel testing, or
• school quarantine/isolation.

Check with your work, school, or travel destination for more information about tests acceptable for these uses.

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Release ID: 21-1004
Media Contact: Mary Anderson
Categories: COVID-19