Coronavirus
National Guard will run COVID-19 tests in Manatee and Sarasota next week, DeSantis says
Another drive-thru COVID-19 testing site will open next week to serve Manatee and Sarasota counties at The Mall at University Town Center in Sarasota, Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a Wednesday briefing on plans to reopen the state.
DeSantis said that the National Guard would be deployed to the area to assist.
It will be one of five new drive-thru sites opening across Florida, the others being in Broward, Escambia, Lee and Miami-Dade counties. The governor said all of them will have enough capacity to “probably do at least 750 tests a day.”
“We’re also going to do Sarasota-Manatee, cause I think you do need more testing,” DeSantis said of the area. “Manatee has had a nursing home outbreak, so having this center may help. Maybe some workers will go.”
The state will also deploy a “mobile lab” next week that is capable of processing tests in under an hour and up to 3,500 tests a week, according to the governor. It will first be used at long-term care facilities.
The state hasn’t shared many details about the testing site at The Mall at University Town Center with either of the counties. Both counties had only been asked to help with finding a suitable location and providing law enforcement at the site.
“The regional site is really going to open a lot of avenues because they are less stringent on testing. You don’t have to have symptoms,” Manatee County Public Safety Director Jacob Saur said.
More testing in Palmetto
More free drive-thru COVID-19 testing sponsored by Manatee County government and the Florida Department of Health in Manatee County is also on the way next week.
The health department has announced that they will host another three days of drive-thru testing next Wednesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Up to 100 appointments will be scheduled each day.
The sample collections will again take place at the Bradenton Area Convention Center, 1 Haben Blvd., Palmetto.
Appointments for a three-day run of testing this week in Palmetto were quickly booked up.
A total of 80 people were screened for infections of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday, according to the health department, and 80 slots have also been filled for Thursday and Friday.
The health department has lifted the requirement of a prescription to get tested, but residents will still need to make an appointment. Appointments can be made by calling the health department at 941-748-0747.
Those who participate in the drive-thru testing must:
▪ Be in a vehicle (no walk-ups will be seen).
▪ Remain in their vehicle at all times.
▪ Present a photo ID with a name that matches the name on the appointment.
▪ Produce proof of Manatee residency (driver’s license, utility bill, etc.).
The health department also received an additional 1,400 COVID-19 test kits on Tuesday. Plans are underway to offer more “no-cost public tests,” according to a press release.
About 0.9 percent of Manatee County’s population has been tested for the coronavirus to date, according to the state health department, with 567 people testing positive. At 15.6 percent, the county’s test positivity rate remains higher than every surrounding county and the statewide rate of 8.8 percent.
Testing is also available for Manatee County residents at five MCR Health locations, potentially at a cost to the patient. Residents can call 941-776-400 for more information or visit mymanatee.org/departments/public_safety/coronavirus_information/testing_information.
Herald staff writer Jessica De Leon contributed to this report.
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