Coral Gables coronavirus testing site reopening, but residents will need to pay for a test
A Coral Gables novel coronavirus testing site will reopen for residents as cases continue to spike, but this time those wishing to be tested will have to pay.
At a commission meeting Tuesday, Commissioner Michael Mena motioned to reopen the testing site, which will be located at a city-owned parking lot off LeJeune Road near the Shops at Merrick Park. The site was first opened in late April.
After a unanimous vote, the site will reopen sometime next week but tests will cost patients $95 and only city residents can use the site, according to the city. Scheduling can be done online and testing payments are non-refundable.
“As cases continue to increase and we approach the potential reopening of schools, we expect to see more and more people getting tested along with their families,” Mena said. “I thought it was important to offer our residents this testing service again in a local, expeditious and controlled environment, even if it comes with an associated cost this time.”
Before the site closed, 1,183 residents were tested, two of whom tested positive, according to city data. Tests cost $75 but were offered for free and the site averaged 35 to 40 percent no-shows. The city spent $120,047 to run the site for 30 days.
City data shows 540 people have tested positive out of the city’s 50,999 residents, which is a 1.06% positive rate.
On Tuesday, Florida’s Department of Health said Miami-Dade County reported 2,090 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 and it announced that the county had 32 new deaths.
The county now has 69,803 confirmed cases and 1,175 deaths, according to the state health department.
Florida saw 67,160 new tests on Monday with a total, of 3,330,418 tests having been conducted.
This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
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