MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has confirmed a federally supported COVID-19 testing facility is being set up in the parking lot of Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
At a news conference held Saturday, the governor confirmed the stadium parking lot will be one of three testing sites being set up across the state in conjunction with FEMA and the National Guard.
Officials said they’ve spent the week setting up the site, and it is is expected to be up and running Monday morning.
“We’ll have our Division of Emergency Management, the [Guard] will be supporting, the local Health Department,” said DeSantis.
The governor said the site will enable health care workers to provide much-needed testing for COVID-19.
“Broward, Dade and Palm Beach [counties], almost 50% of the cases in Florida are in those areas,” he said.
Saturday night, Florida Department of Health issued a statement saying this site will only be testing people 65 or older who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, as well as first responders and health care workers regardless of symptoms.
The other two locations DeSantis talked about will be at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando and the Jacksonville Jaguars Stadium.
The Jacksonville site opened Saturday, DeSantis said.
Each test site will come with 2,500 collection samples.
Meanwhile, testing in South Florida continued at C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines.
“We tested a total of 745 people yesterday,” said Dr. Jennifer Goldman with Memorial Primary Care.
Drive-thru locations at Broward Health North in Pompano Beach and Larkin Community Hospital in Hialeah also conducted tests for the coronavirus. Testing at the Larkin Community Hospital site costs $150.
DeSantis is expected to be on hand at the site outside Hard Rock Stadium sometime on Sunday.
First responders will be able to get tested Sunday at the Miami Gardens location from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Anyone with questions and concerns about the coronavirus can call the Florida Department of Health’s 24-hour hotline at 1-866-779-6121.
Complete list of testing locations
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