People waited for hours in a line that eventually stretched from Yonge Street around the back of Upper Canada Mall, past the Toys R Us and north entrance, to pick up free rapid antigen tests today in Newmarket.
The rapid antigen screening kits will continue to be available — one kit per person — during mall hours Dec. 20 and 21 from the former Aurthur's Landing patio on the east side of the mall as part of the province's holiday testing blitz.
The wait reportedly lasted more than two hours for some people, with the line beginning before the mall even opened along the east side on Yonge, then snaking around the back, past the food court entrance, toward The Bay.
Pop-up sites will offer up to two million rapid tests for free in high-traffic locations such as malls, retail settings, holiday markets, public libraries, and transit hubs across Ontario.
The LCBO outlet in Aurora, one of four in York Region distributing the free kits, ran out of supplies within two hours on the first day of distribution Friday.
You're advised to follow the LCBO twitter feed for updates on stock at all locations.
Access will be limited to one test kit per person as supplies last.
A rapid antigen test is only a screening tool and cannot diagnose COVID-19. Anyone who receives a positive result on the antigen test must self-isolate and seek a PCR test at a COVID-19 assessment centre. Click here to find a testing centre near you.
