SFO To Offer Free COVID Testing Kits For International Passengers

SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT — The San Francisco International Airport will launch a free COVID-19 testing program for international arriving passengers through a pilot program with the California Department of Public Health.

The voluntary program will provide free testing kids to arriving passengers, the first to be administered on the day of arrival and the second — a PCR test kit — within three to five days.

It’s the first such program in the nation, according to a news release on Tuesday. Airport officials said that the testing kits will help the state's department of public health monitor for variants and develop mitigation strategies.

“Throughout this pandemic, SFO has been leading the airport industry in developing onsite testing and vaccination capabilities,” SFO Airport Director Ivar C. Satero said. “With this program, we take another important step forward in understanding how to track and defeat this pandemic.”

SFO has served as a testing center and later a mass vaccination site for San Mateo County.

The program is set to run for five weeks, according to SFO.

“This program ensures travelers will only bring back pleasant memories from their trip and not create unpleasant ones by unknowingly contracting or spreading COVID-19,” said Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, the California Department of Public Health Director and State Public Health Officer. “CDPH continues to urge all Californians to protect yourself, family, friends, and your community by getting vaccinated.”