POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - As more and more testing sites pop up across South Florida, local leaders caution that far more testing is necessary before the economy can reopen.
Certain guidelines for being tested have also been relaxed as more tests become available.
At the testing site in Pompano Beach, you must show symptoms in order to get tested and is by appointment only from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
However, if you do not have an appointment, a nurse will screen you if you have symptoms and will test you if necessary.
In Lauderhill the testing protocols are the same.
A new drive-thru site was built in just days in Miami at Indian Beach Park on Collins Avenue. The station is open six days a week and is a collaboration among community leaders.
Matt McKenna of Response Hxecute said, “We just couldn’t stand around. We have the means and the experience to support something like this. We just want to do our part to help the community.”
A Miami Beach location can test up to 300 people a day, but according to one congresswoman, that’s not enough.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, D-Fla., said, “The federal government must invest in a widespread, rapid testing system, which we still don’t have.”
The United States is currently testing 150,000 people a day. According to experts, that number must be tripled if the economy is to reopen in the next few weeks.
“The public health infrastructure must include widespread rapid testing so that we can identify who has the virus and how we can contain the spread. We also need to implement comprehensive contact tracing so that we understand who has the virus. We can quarantine those too and prevent new clusters of the disease from emerging,” Mucarsel-Powell said.
In order to be tested at one of the locations across the county, you must exhibit at least one symptom.
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