Newsom promised 6 million COVID tests for students. Just half have arrived

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom promised that schools would receive at-home COVID-19 tests in time for students to safely return to campuses after winter break, as health officials warned of a surge in cases over the holidays.

But as many school districts resumed classes on Monday, they did so without having received a single test from the state.

Just half of the 6 million tests Newsom said the state would purchase for schools have been delivered, while an additional 1 million tests are en route and expected to be delivered within 24 hours, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Public Health said Monday. An additional shipment of 1.5 million tests was