This weekend will be the last for some COVID-19 testing sites in the city, but a more practical testing option is taking their place.

The start of COVID-19 site closures is today, and at-home test kits and treatments will be taking their place.

After Sunday, there will be a total of seven testing sites in New York City closing. Gov. Kathy Hochul stated Friday that “New Yorkers have worked hard to keep each other safe from COVID-19, but with new variants spreading throughout the state, we must maintain remain vigilant in using the tools."

Those tools being at-home test kits and treatments being accessible to all New Yorkers to get tested and treated quickly. Each closed testing site will have various at-home test distribution sites within a mile of the closed site.

New Yorkers that test positive using an at-home test will need to call 212-COVID-19 and will immediately have access to Paxlovid and other medications needed to treat COVID-19 that can be delivered the same day.

This will provide quick access to treatment that is not possible through a PCR test that needs to run in a lab.