Need to get tested for COVID on New Year’s? You have a few options in South Florida
Need a COVID-19 test to ring in the New Year?
Be prepared to wait.
South Florida test sites are crowded with long lines again as the state sees a surge of cases during the holiday season. Some people are getting tested because they feel sick or were exposed to COVID. Others need it to travel or are doing it as a precaution before they gather with family and friends for their New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day celebrations.
And while some sites might have extended their hours this week to help meet demand, expect to see most locations close for the holiday weekend. At-home test kits are also hard to find, with high demand leaving retailers, including CVS and Walgreens, sold out of the tests.
There is some good news: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now recommending a shorter quarantine and isolation period for people who test positive or were exposed to COVID-19.
Here’s what to know if you need to get tested:
COVID testing in Miami-Dade
Testing sites will be open regular hours through Thursday. You can find a list of test sites and their hours of operation at miamidade.gov/covid-testing. For the holiday weekend, sites are closing and cutting their hours:
▪ New Year’s Eve: Testing sites will be open regular hours on Friday, Dec. 31 with the exception of the South Dade Government Center, Zoo Miami and Tropical Park sites. These 24-hour sites will close at 7 p.m.
▪ New Year’s Day: All testing sites will be closed on Saturday, Jan. 1, with the exception of the Tropical Park, South Dade Government Center and Miami Dade College North testing sites, which will be open 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.
▪ Miami International Airport has two test sites. One of the sites, run by Communitel, at Concourse E ground level median in front of Door 11, is open 24 hours a day for walk-ins and scheduled appointments. For testing costs or to schedule an appointment, call 305-869-1161. The other site, run by Nomi Health, near the Concourse H TSA Checkpoint on the departures level at Door 20, is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily for walk-ins and scheduled appointments. For testing costs or to schedule an appointment, visit the Nomi Health website or call 305-280-0694 or toll-free at 833-685-0700.
▪ Appointments needed at county-run sites? No appointments are needed. Test sites on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 will be walk-in only, but if you have an appointment already for those days it’ll be honored, the county says. Remember, some sites are drive-thru and others are walk-up (wait standing in line).
Broward COVID testing
Broward County has limited testing options this week at its drive-thru and walk-up sites.
Only three health department-run testing sites will be open Thursday, Dec. 30:
C.B. Smith Park at 900 N. Flamingo Rd. in Pembroke Pines, Markham Park at 16001 W. State Road 84 in Sunrise, and Mills Pond Park at 2201 NW Ninth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. The sites don’t take appointments so just show up and wait in line.
All other sites, including the one at the Dania Beach parking garage at City Hall and the one at Sunny Lake Bird Sanctuary in Davie are closed, according to Broward’s COVID test site locator.
People traveling to or from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport can use the testing site located in Terminal 3, pre-security, on the lower level near the baggage claim. The site is open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. You will need to show proof of travel plans to or from FLL on any airline. There is a fee for testing at the airport. To schedule an appointment, visit Nomi Health’s FLL weblink. Walk-ups may be accepted if no one with an appointment is waiting.
What about on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day?
All health department-run testing sites, including C.B. Smith Park, Markham Park and Mills Pond Park, will be closed Friday, Dec. 31 through Saturday, Jan. 1. The test site at FLL will be open as normal, according to the airport’s website.
This story was originally published December 29, 2021 at 9:16 AM.
