Some drive-through sites in Miami-Dade to begin offering COVID-19 retesting

In a change of policy, Florida’s Department of Health said three drive-through sites in Miami-Dade would begin accepting appointments Thursday for people who tested positive for COVID-19 and want to be tested again.

Retesting hadn’t been allowed at the free drive-through sites until now, leaving people hoping to be cleared from having the virus to seek second tests from private healthcare providers. More than 10,000 people in Miami-Dade have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, according to state figures.

Olga Connor, a spokeswoman for the agency’s Miami-Dade office, said the Thursday appointments will be for retesting Friday at three sites: Marlins Park, the Youth Fair site at Tamiami Park and the South Dade Government Center.

Like all tests at those drive-through locations, the retests will be free. Appointments are required, and people interested in being retested should call 305-499-8767.

To qualify for a retest, a person must be an adult from Miami-Dade who tested positive for COVID-19 more than 14 days ago.

Until the change announced Wednesday, people who used the drive-through sites to learn they had contracted COVID-19 found they were unable to return to see if the disease had left their systems.

Johnny Farias, an electrician in South Dade running for County Commission in District 9, said he went to the South Dade Government Center on April 6 for a nasal-swab test after developing COVID-19 symptoms. The results came back positive, and he said the healthcare professional told him to get retested 14 days later to see if he had recovered.

The problem, Farias said: South Dade wouldn’t allow him to come back, and neither would any of the other public testing sites. “I can’t imagine how many people are going through the same thing,” Farias said. “They’re probably saying forget it, I’ll just go back outside.”

Farias’ 20-year-old son tested positive as well. Johnny Farias Jr. said the paid sick time is expiring at the convenience store where he works, and that he needs another test to be cleared to return.

“They told me I need a paper saying I’m free of COVID-19,” he said.