Walmart will test using drones to drop COVID-19 diagnostic kits at customers’ homes, the retailer’s latest move in the pandemic-fueled arena of contactless deliveries.
The company is piloting drone delivery of at-home coronavirus self-collection kits in North Las Vegas and Cheektowaga, N.Y., it said in a blog post Sept. 22.
It’s delivering the kits to qualifying patients who live within a mile of certain Walmart Supercenters in both locales. Patients will self-administer a nasal swab, which they’ll send to Quest Diagnostics for testing.
Walmart says there’s no kit or delivery cost for those who opt to receive a test by drone, and there’s a prepaid shipping label to return it. Quest’s average turnaround time for tests is two days, and just over one day for priority patients.
The trial is an expansion of Walmart’s testing efforts. It has offered drive-through testing at dozens of locations over the last several months. The company also recently received FAA approval to deliver groceries and household goods by drone, and it started a pilot program to do just that.
