Walmart is continuing its push into the drone delivery space with a new initiative to deliver COVID-19 self-collection kits.
Tom Ward, senior vice president of customer product for Walmart, announced the company’s plan to partner with Quest Diagnostics and DroneUp to launch a pilot program in North Las Vegas and later in Cheektowaga, New York.
“The health and safety of our associates and customers has been our top priority, and we’ve remained dedicated to supporting efforts to expand COVID-19 testing through our drive-thru testing and partnerships with federal and state governments, labs and insurance companies,” Ward wrote.
As part of the pilot program, Walmart is aiming to provide a new no-cost contactless COVID-19 testing option. To qualify for the program, patients must reside in a single-family residence within a one-mile radius of select Supercenters in the two pilot cities.
Once the kit is ordered, it will be delivered by drone to the patient’s driveway, front sidewalk or backyard. Patients will then perform the self-administered test and send the kit to Quest Diagnostics using a prepaid shipping label.
This marks the third drone shipping initiative Walmart has announced in recent weeks. The first project was a partnership with Flytrex, designed to deliver groceries and household items. It was launched on Sept. 9 in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The second program is with Zipline and will focus on delivering health and wellness products, starting in the Northwest Arkansas region.
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