SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - While many COVID-19 testing sites in South Florida remained closed on Christmas Day, the one at Tropical Park was open for several hours, as the state reported another one-day record number of new cases.
Lines of cars began forming at Tropical Park a few hours before it opened at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
“If you don’t have health, you have nothing,” said passenger Dolly Quintero.
Instead of spending their morning opening presents, hundreds of people were up early sitting in their vehicles and waiting to be tested.
“We’re OK. We’re together as a family; it could be worse,” said a passenger.
Some got tested just to be on the safe side.
“I’m supposed to be positive, and my husband and my daughter are negative, so we are, the three of us, just double-checking,” said Quintero.
Others said they wanted a second opinion.
“I have some of the tests in England that you do at home yourself, and it came out positive,” said a passenger.
The Tropical Park site closed for the day at 4 p.m.
The Southwest Miami-Dade location was also busy on Christmas Eve, even with shortened hours.
Saturday afternoon, state health officials confirmed 32,850 new daily COVID cases, a new one-day record thatsurpasses Friday’s one-day record of 31,758 new daily cases.
With the Sunshine State seeing a record-shattering surge since the start of the pandemic, officials are now trying to make it easier for people by doing it themselves at home.
“You have to keep doing it to make sure you don’t get exposed, and if you think you have it, then you have the test,” said one woman.
Five library locations in Miami-Dade County began distributing at-home testing kits, Friday. Only three kits were allowed per household.
A total of 12,500 testing kits were handed out to residents.
“This is wonderful,” said one man. “Especially since they’re so hard to get anywhere, you know.”
“Thank you,” said one man. “We definitely need it.”
If you didn’t grab an at-home test kit on Friday, county officials will be handing out more beginning Monday. They will be offering them at 27 libraries.
“We should have around another 20,000 on Monday, possibly more to start distributing again,” said Ray Baker of the Miami-Dade Public Library System.
To snag a quick test, you can also go to South Dade Government Center and Miami-Dade College.
Testing sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Tropical Park testing site is set to reopen Sunday at 7 a.m.
For the list of libraries distributing at-home testing kits, click here.
For a list of COVID-19 testing sites in Miami-Dade County, click here. To find vaccination sites, click here.
For a list of COVID-19 testing sites in Broward County, click here. To find vaccination sites, click here.
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