Florida COVID-19 test sites will close for Christmas. Where can you go in Miami-Dade?
All state-supported COVID-19 test sites in Florida, including at Hard Rock Stadium and Marlins Park will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, according to the state’s Division of Emergency Management.
Some testing sites in Miami-Dade including Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Marlins Park in Miami and Amelia Earhart Park in Hialeah will also be closed on New Year’s Day. In Broward, some sites will also be closed on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 including C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines, the Cleveland Clinic Florida Weston campus and Holiday Park/War Memorial in Fort Lauderdale.
You can still be tested during the holidays, but it might require you to do a bit more research than usual.
In Miami-Dade, some sites like Tropical Park, 7900 SW 40th St., and the Fairgrounds at Tamiami Park next to Florida International University will be closing early at 1 p.m. Dec. 24 and Dec. 31 and will be closed Dec. 25 and Jan. 1, according to Miami-Dade County’s COVID-19 test site locator. Both sites require appointments.
At the Miami Beach Convention Center, walk-up testing will be closed on Christmas Eve, but drive-thru testing will be open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., the city said. Walk-up and drive-thru testing at the convention center will be closed on Christmas Day and Jan 1. Drive-thru testing will also close early at 1 p.m. Dec. 31. Appointments are recommended for drive-thru testing.
What COVID-19 testing sites are open on Christmas, New Year’s in Miami-Dade?
Miami-Dade County has a list of state, county, municipal and private testing sites listed on its website. The COVID-19 test site locator helps you find a site that is nearest to your home.
Locator can be found at www.miamidade.gov/global/initiatives/coronavirus/testing-locations.page
Once you plug in your ZIP Code, you can filter the site by a variety of factors, including what type of tests it offers, if it’s a drive-thru or walk-up test site, and if you need to have symptoms or not.
The locator gives you information on every test site’s hours of operations, if appointments are needed and if the site is closed because of the holiday. Sites that are closed on Nochebuena (Christmas Eve), Christmas Day or on New Year’s Day will say so in typed bold red letters.
If the site you plan to visit doesn’t require an appointment, check the locator before you go to make sure there weren’t any last minute changes to its hours of operations during the holidays.
What about if you want to get tested in Broward County?
You can find information about testing sites, including hours of operations, if it’s a drive-thru or walk-up site and what type of tests the site offers at https://www.broward.org/CoronaVirus/Pages/Collection-Sites.aspx. For questions, call Broward County’s COVID-19 hotline at 954-357-9500. The hotline is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. though it will be closed on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.
This story was originally published December 22, 2020 at 6:48 AM.
