Broward allows restaurants to stay open later, announces new rapid COVID testing site
Broward restaurants can stay open an hour later, Broward Mayor Dale Holness said Friday.
The announcement comes as part of a new emergency order, which also prohibits anyone from consuming alcohol in public from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Last month, Broward restaurants were told they must close at 10 p.m. to keep the coronavirus from spreading.
On Friday, Holness said Broward has seen an improvement.
“Because we’ve worked together, we see the results of our efforts,” Holness said.
On Friday, Broward County reported 474 additional confirmed cases of the disease and 17 new deaths. Those numbers represent 60 fewer new cases than reported Thursday, but 15 more deaths.
The county now has a known total of 68,542 cases and 1,068 deaths. The positivity rate also went down Friday to 6.75% from 7.28% Thursday.
In a shared news conference Friday, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis also announced a new COVID-19 rapid antigen testing site at Holiday Park.
“Quick results will better control the spread of this virus,” Trantalis said during the news conference.
The drive-thru COVID-19 testing site at Holiday Park, located at U.S 1 and Northeast Eighth Street, will be in addition to the standard swab tests. Generally, the site is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
But there was one hiccup to the plan. With Tropical Storm Laura looming, the site closed at 3 p.m. Friday and will remain closed through Monday.
All of Broward’s testing sites except the COVID-19 testing site at C.B. Smith Park, which is operated by Memorial Healthcare, will remain closed through Monday.
Trantalis said the new rapid testing site is one more tool to fight the spread. It is the first such site in Broward. There are two in Miami-Dade, one at Hard Rock Stadium and the other at Marlins Park.
At the Holiday Park location, rapid testing will be offered to anyone who has symptoms and to individuals ages 5 to 17 or 65 and over without COVID-19 symptoms. Results are expected back in a maximum of two hours.
Appointments and photo ID are required. To schedule an appointment, visit www.tourhealth.com and use the Gov2Go app or Gov2Go web platform.
This story was originally published August 21, 2020 at 6:25 PM.
