You can order 4 free COVID-19 tests from the government starting next week

Americans will be able to order free home COVID-19 tests from US authorities starting next week.

The White House on Friday announced that starting January 19, every home in the US can order four free home COVID-19 tests through a newly launched website, COVIDtests.gov. The site says there won’t be any shipping costs and you don’t need to enter a credit card to take the tests.

“To order their tests, the only two things people will need are their name and permanent mailing address” The White House said. “Tests will typically be mailed within 7-12 days of order and delivered First Class via US Postal Service.”

The White House also said that the authorities will deploy a call line to “help those who cannot access the website to place an order.”

The website’s launch comes after President Biden announced that his administration purchased an additional 500 million COVID-19 tests amid concerns and criticism that they are more unavailable amid a surge in cases caused by the Omicron variant. In December, when asked why the Biden administration didn’t offer free COVID-19 tests to all Americans, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki speak, “Should we just send one per American? Then what if every American had a test? How much would that cost?”