In a letter sent last week, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) led 36 members in calling on President Biden to expand the residential standards set by the free at-home COVID-19 tests program. The lawmakers asked the Administration to allow multi-family housing units to order the tests they need. The full letter, including a full list of Members, is available here.
The letter reads in part, “Since rollout, we have received a large number of reports from constituents regarding their inability to request COVID-19 test kits as a result of not living in a single-family household: those who reside in dwellings such as basement apartments, renovated multi-family units, and multi-family residences. For those in apartment buildings, once these addresses are claimed on the USPS order portal, no other tests can be ordered to that address without going through the hotline. People living in basement apartments may not have their own distinct address, so the policy of one order per dwelling is preventing them from getting the tests they need. Those who live above a retail establishment are also having difficulty ordering kits.”
“We urge the Administration to expand the guidelines currently set in place to account for basement apartments, renovated multi-family units, and multigenerational family households. Specifically, we urge you to allow families to list the number of members in their household and an associated surname, so that families who live in basement units or multi-family residences can access the appropriate number of tests.”
