Requirements being loosened at some Central Florida coronavirus testing sites
ORLANDO, Fla. - Orange County is lifting some of the requirements for coronavirus testing.
Now anyone with symptoms, regardless of age, can come get tested at the drive-thru site at the Orange County Convention Center.
But with a limited number of tests, right now they only have enough to keep going for five more days. Before the drive-thru line opened at 9 a.m., deputies said more than 100 cars filled with people were lined up on Universal Boulevard just waiting to be tested.
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“We expect it to be busy,” public information officer Lauren Luna said.
For the past week, there was an age restriction that resulted in hundreds of people being turned away. Now anyone with symptoms like a fever or respiratory issues can receive a nasal cavity swab while sitting in their car.
“First responders, healthcare workers, medical professionals, are still welcome to be tested even if they do not have symptoms,” Luna said.
On the frontlines, around 300 nurses and members of the National Guard run this COVID-19 testing site.Tests are limited to just 250 per day.
Governor Ron DeSantis said he has ordered more throughout the state, but for right now this site only has enough to keep operating for another five days. Officials said the test swabs are sent to a Quest Lab in Miramar.
Right now it takes about seven days to get the results. But as the governor has said, they are developing a plan for a surge in laboratory testing.
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The drive-thru testing site at the Orange County Convention Center will re-open Thursday at 9 a.m.