On Friday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a new partnership with three Home Depot and three Publix stores to act as COVID-19 testing sites.
"If you're shopping and you want to get a test, you have the ability, very easy access, you don't even have to leave the parking lot to be able to do it," said DeSantis while speaking to reporters at a Home Depot in Boca Raton.
The partnership’s first testing site opened Friday, May 29, at the same Home Depot, which is located at 9820 Glades Road in Boca Raton.The testing sites will be run by Quest Diagnostics, and the Florida Division of Emergency Management will provide staffing and personal protective equipment, according to a statement.
The sites will be able to process roughly 100 tests per day, and people will be able to get their test results in about five to seven days.The sites will be able to process roughly 100 tests per day, and people will be able to get their test results in about five to seven days.
tweet this
“While we’ve expanded testing exponentially over the past few weeks, we’ve found that we needed to make testing more convenient,” said Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz. “This is yet another example of how we’ve been able to lead nationally on making testing available and accessible. Our private sector partners have been tremendous throughout this response, and I want to thank Home Depot, Publix and Quest for stepping up to make these sites a reality.”
DeSantis said they're still determining exactly where the other sites should open next, and the two companies will announce the new locations around the state at a later date.
"I would imagine you're gonna see probably several more in South Florida," DeSantis said.
So far, at least 67 Publix employees in Florida have tested positive for COVID-19 based on media reports, and at least nine of those were in the Tampa Bay area, reports the Tampa Bay Times.
As of Friday, Florida has 54,497 coronavirus cases, and 2,413 deaths.
This story originally appeared in our sister paper Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
_
Please follow CDC guidelines and Orange County advisories to stay safe, and please support this free publication. Our small but mighty team is working tirelessly to bring you news on how coronavirus is affecting Central Florida. Please consider making a one-time or monthly donation. Every little bit helps.
