Gov. Newsom Signs Executive Order To Prevent Price Gouging On At-Home Covid Tests

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order today creating consumer protections against price gouging on at-home test kits as part of the state's continued efforts to protect Californians amid the national rise of COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron strain.

The order bans retailers from raising prices for COVID-19 At-Home Test Kits by more than 10%, which will help to improve access to these tests at a reasonable price.

Governor Newsom announced the deployment of more than 200 California Guard personnel to enhance capacity at 50 testing sites across the state yesterday, in an effort to bolster the state's robust testing program. This initiative comes on top of the state's existing 6,000 testing facilities, as well as the state's recent demand-based expansion of hours at state-operated sites and the 9.6 million tests sent to schools since early December.