Governments loosening age limits for drive-through testing in Miami for coronavirus

Update: On Wednesday, April 1, Miami expanded the age range for those eligible to be tested at home or at Charles Hadley Park. City residents ages 18 years and older who are experiencing symptoms can get tested.

Miami on Tuesday loosened age restrictions on a drive-up coronavirus testing site at Hadley Park, allowing city residents as young as 45 to participate if they experience symptoms of COVID-19. Across town, Marlins Park began offering drive-through testing for any adult with symptoms of the virus.

The looser rules follow a week of seniors-only testing at Marlins Park and of Miami limiting home testing to people 65 and over. With less demand from older residents, governments administering the sites say they’re ready to open them up to a broader range of people.

“We feel comfortable we have enough kits to lower the limit,” Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said Tuesday after Hadley Park in Liberty City opened for a trial run of drive-through testing. He said as more kits come in or demand slackens, the city will continue lowering age restrictions. “I recommend people of all ages call ... because we are reassessing the limit by the hour.”

The main barrier to testing remains a requirement for COVID-19 symptoms, which include fever, shortness of breath and coughing. But the broader age ranges implemented Tuesday mark a new approach to how governments in Miami are managing limited supplies of testing kits as positive cases grow.

Hard Rock Stadium, which is supplied by the federal government, remains a 65-and-over site, according to Miami-Dade’s website. It is also open to medical workers and first responders of all ages.

The other two federally supported sites in the state — one in Central Florida and the other in Jacksonville —have already removed age restrictions after seeing less traffic from older residents.

Testing sites remain a source of friction, with the state deciding where to send the kits needed to test hundreds of people a day in their cars.

On Tuesday, two county commissioners, Jose “Pepe” Diaz and Joe Martinez, objected to scrapped plans for a testing site at the Youth Fair site at Tamiami Park. The fair was preparing for a state-supplied testing site there last week, but then those plans ended as the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the launch of Palm Beach’s first drive-through facility instead.

“It is difficult to understand why we cannot get the relief that is needed in West Miami-Dade County to help alleviate the hardship for many residents who wish to get tested, as well as getting to the testing sites that are in place now,” Martinez said in a statement.

At Hadley Park, Miami’s planned age restrictions dropped throughout the day. It was initially announced as another 65-and-over site for city residents. In a press conference in the morning, Mayor Suarez said the location would be open to residents over the age of 55. By midday, the city announced the 45-and-over criteria.

Miami also said it was expanding mobile testing for homebound residents to people 45 or older. Both the home and Hadley Park options require residents to have coronavirus symptoms. The city is taking appointments through calls to 305-960-5050.

The Hadley Park site started with just 20 tests Tuesday, Suarez said. He said there’s enough equipment for 200 tests on Wednesday.

At Marlins Park, which launched seven days ago, on March 24, the age limit plunged from 65 to 18, according to Miami-Dade’s website. It’s now open to any adult with COVID-19 symptoms.

Myriam Marquez, communications director for Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, said the looser age restrictions went into effect Tuesday at the request of the Florida Department of Health. “They feel they’ve covered the bulk of the 65-year-olds,” Marquez said.

Appointments are required at Marlins Park. About 300 slots are available per day, and county residents can call 305-499-8767 to reserve a time for the following day.

Miami Herald staff writer Ben Conarck contributed to this report.

This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 6:18 PM.