COVID-19 testing resumes Saturday after holiday break

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – COVID-19 testing resumed Saturday morning after sites across Florida closed for the holiday. Thousands of people rushed to get tested in preparation to travel before Christmas.

The CDC has recommendations for those who traveled for the holiday:

• It recommends getting tested one to five days after returning home.
• If you receive a negative test, they recommend still isolating at home for seven days to be safe.
• If you don’t get tested at all, they recommend isolating for 10 days.

Earlier this week, long lines were seen at the testing location at Regency Square Mall. The demand was high to get tested before the holiday with sites closing for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

The latest numbers from the Florida Division of Emergency Management show more than 3,238 people tested on Wednesday. Earlier in the week, Regency set a record for the most tests in a single day on Monday with 3,499 tests completed.

The testing location at the Legends Center on Soutel Drive was also busy before the site closed for the holiday. More people rushing to get COVID-19 testing.

By Wednesday at 4 p.m. those who were not already in line were asked to go to another site since it reached its capacity. The site re-opened Saturday morning.

It’s open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. every day. The site offers rapid testing, antigen testing and PCR tests with NO appointment needed.

Mayor Lenny Curry has extended Duval County’s mask mandate at least through Jan. 25.