The Ontario governmentwilldistribute free COVID-19 rapid antigen tests at grocery stores, pharmacies and other settings. 

A government source with knowledge of the plan told The Canadian Press that Health Minister Christine Elliott will announce more details on Wednesday.

The source said there will be a limit of one box of five tests per household per visit, though some stores might have different processes.

Ontario provided free rapid antigen test kits at malls and liquor stores in December ahead of the holidays.

The source said Ontario has directly procured more rapid tests and will distribute up to 5.5 million per week.

The news comes weeks after the province restricted access to gold-standard PCR tests as the Omicron variant overwhelmed capacity. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 8, 2022.

The Canadian Press