Gathering for the holidays? You may need a COVID test — and here’s how to get one now
As COVID cases soar in Florida — on Thursday alone, 32,869 cases and 83 deaths were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — the thoughts of gathering for Christmas amid omicron, the dominant strain in Miami-Dade, have people jamming testing sites.
At Tropical Park’s 24-hour drive-through COVID test site, for instance, lines of cars are spilling out onto Bird Road. The situation is the same in Broward County near C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines.
Worried about your holiday feast? Thinking of canceling?
Here’s where you can get a COVID test during the holiday stretch.
Miami-Dade COVID testing
▪ Christmas Eve: County sites are closing at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve Friday, according to the Miami-Dade locations site.
▪ Christmas Day: Tropical Park, South Dade Government Center and Miami Dade College North testing sites will be the only sites open on Christmas Day Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
▪ Walk-ups: Testing on Friday and Saturday will be by walk-up only at county sites, Miami-Dade said. But if you had an appointment already booked for these days it will be honored. Appointments won’t be issued now for these dates, though.
▪ Pharmacies: CVS/Navarro stores are open. Check your location for hours and testing policies. You need to register online with CVS. Walgreens’ hours vary, but most of Walgreens’ pharmacies are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve. You need to register online with Walgreens. But they are closed on Christmas Day.
Take home rapid tests
These tests will be offered for free at five Miami-Dade County Public Libraries. You can pick up a take-home rapid test kit on Christmas Eve until 3 p.m. while supplies last. Here are the locations:
▪ North Dade Regional Library, 2455 NW 183rd St. Miami Gardens.
▪ Kendale Lakes Branch Library, 15205 SW 88th St. Miami.
▪ Northeast Dade - Aventura Branch, 2930 Aventura Blvd.
▪ South Dade Regional Library, 10750 SW 211th St., Cutler Bay.
▪ Westchester Regional Library, 9445 Coral Way, West Miami-Dade.
New Year’s Eve and Jan. 1
What about New Year’s? We like to gather for New Year’s Eve, too.
▪ New Year’s Eve: Testing sites will be open at regular hours on Dec. 31 with the exception of the South Dade Government Center and Tropical Park sites. These will close at 7 p.m. on New Year’s Eve Friday.
▪ New Year’s Day: All testing sites will be closed on Jan. 1, with the exception of the Tropical Park, South Dade Government Center and Miami Dade College North testing sites. These will be open on New Year’s Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
▪ Port Miami Terminal J testing site will be open on Jan. 1, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
▪ Walk-ups: As on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, testing on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 will be walk-up only but if you have an appointment already for those days it’ll be honored, the county says.
Broward COVID testing
▪ Broward County’s Department of Health locations at C.B. Smith Park, Markham Park and Mills Pond Park are closed through Christmas Day. The Broward sites will also be closed Dec. 30 through Jan. 1 for New Year’s, according to the county.
▪ Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is a testing site, located in Terminal 3, pre-security, on the lower level near the baggage claim and operating 7 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. But the airport site is open to consumers who have to provide proof of travel plans to or from FLL on any airline. There is also a fee for testing at this site: $159 for a rapid PCR; $99 for a PCR; $59 for a rapid antigen test. Walk-ups may be accepted if no one with an appointment is waiting.
▪ Pharmacies: As in Miami-Dade, CVS/Navarro pharmacies are open and hours may vary. Walgreens’ pharmacies will generally be open until 5 p.m. Christmas Eve but closed on Christmas Day.
This story was originally published December 24, 2021 at 11:49 AM.
