White House plans vows to provide 10 million Covid tests for schools each month

The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it would provide schools with 10 million Covid-19 tests every month as it urges districts to keep classrooms open amid a widespread shortage of testing kits.

The White House said it will distribute 5 million rapid tests to schools every month. It also vowed to make the capacity for an additional 5 million PCR tests available through a Department of Health and Human Services program that collects samples and sends them to labs.

“These additional tests will help schools safely remain open,” the White House said in a fact sheet.

Students are returning from winter break and case numbers are surging across the country, fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus. The spike in cases has created disruptions in many school systems. Some started 2022 by switching to remote learning or delaying openings.

Chicago’s public schools canceled classes for four days after the teachers union voted to go remote, in part over disputes involving Covid testing. The union and the school district reached a deal this week that will return students to classrooms Wednesday. ...