Ontario Released A List Of Over 2K Grocery Stores & Pharmacies With Free Rapid Tests

Rapid antigen tests are about to be as common as picking up your groceries or a prescription from a pharmacy starting Wednesday.

The Ontario government announced 5.5 million free rapid antigen tests that will be released weekly for the next eight weeks in pharmacies and grocery stores across Ontario starting February 9, according to a press release.

Community partners for vulnerable communities will also get their fair share of tests to distribute.

Grocers, pharmacies and community partners will "have the ability to determine how tests are distributed in order to best serve the community, including through appointment bookings, at checkout or through online orders."

Free rapid antigen tests will be given out at 2,300 grocery and pharmacy locations, including stores like Shoppers Drug Mart, Metro, Sobeys, Rexall Pharmacies, Loblaws, Longo's, Walmart and more across the province.

But before you head to your closet location, you may want to check their website for any specifics on how they will be disturbing tests.

If you're looking to pick up a rapid test at Walmart, you'll need to order it online and in advance before picking it up in-store.

Longo's has a similar online route, and to access their tests, they must be ordered from Grocery Gateway.

Each household is limited to one box, which includes five rapid tests, so while they are more accessible than they previously were, you may not want to blow through them too fast.

To find your closest participating store, you can look it up on the Ontario government's website.

The Ontario government says the expanded availability of rapid tests for Ontarians will "help detect COVID‑19 earlier and stop the spread of the virus."