Montgomery County announced Friday that it will begin distributing free at-home Covid tests at public libraries beginning Monday, January 10. (Library systems in DC, Prince George’s County, and across Northern Virginia are already distributing free tests.)
In Montgomery County, iHealth COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test kits will be handed out on a first-come, first-served basis. One kit, containing two tests, will be available per person. The county says it has so far ordered nearly 2 million test kits, and 500,000 of them have already arrived.
Nineteen libraries will offer the tests. Branches at Aspen Hill; Chevy Chase; Damascus; Davis; Gaithersburg; Little Falls; Potomac; Silver Spring; and White Oak will distribute them from 11 AM to 2 PM, Monday through Saturday.
Connie Morella in Bethesda; Germantown, Kensington Park; Long Branch; Marilyn Praisner in Burtonsville; Olney; Quince Orchard; Rockville; Twinbrook; and Wheaton will distribute the tests from 4 PM to 7 PM, Monday through Thursday, and from 2 PM to 5 PM on Friday and Saturday.
The county stresses that only asymptomatic people should come to the libraries for tests, and advises residents showing symptoms to contact their healthcare providers.
Marisa M. Kashino joined Washingtonian in 2009 and was a senior editor until 2022.
