Colorado's At-Home Coronavirus Testing Program Expands

An at-home coronavirus testing program in Colorado expanded Tuesday to include all food services workers in the state, public health officials said.

The Binax At-Home rapid testing program was launched in our state in February for pre-K to grade 12 teachers, school administrators and early childhood educators.

Teachers and restaurant employees can order the free kits to their homes and conduct the tests under telehealth guidance, officials said.

Colorado was one of several states chosen to partner with Abbot BinaxNOW to expand the use of the company's at-home tests. Our state initially bought 2 million test kits.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment partnered with Amazon and eMed, one of the nation's largest digital health providers, to send the tests to people's homes.

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“Restaurants’ top priority has always been keeping guests safe and healthy. We are thrilled that this resource will be available to our industry as an additional means to that end,” said Sonia Riggs, President and CEO of the Colorado Restaurant Association.

“We hope the Binax At-Home program, in combination with vaccine distribution to restaurant workers, can help create a clear path to safely welcoming Colorado’s communities back into restaurants at full capacity.”

Food service employees can enroll in the program by filling out a Google Form that verifies their employer and their email address. Once applicants are approved, they will receive an email that explains how they can order their own free testing kit, which will be delivered to their homes via Amazon, officials said. Kits each contain six tests, which recipients can use to test themselves every five days. Those who are approved can order the kits every 20 days.