JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Lines at two coronavirus testing sites in Jacksonville were cut off early Saturday.
The Florida Association of Public Information Officers announced about 1:30 p.m. Saturday that the line at the Lot J testing site outside TIAA Bank Field in downtown Jacksonville was cut off for the rest of the day due to the “overwhelming response.“
The association said vehicles already in line would continue to be processed until 5 p.m.
#BREAKING from the State of Florida run #COVID19 Test Site at @TIAABankField Lot J: The testing line has been cutoff today due to the overwhelming response. We will keep processing vehicles in line until 5:00 PM.
— Florida Association of Public Information Officers (@FloridaPIOs) June 27, 2020
Testing will reopen at 9 AM Sunday. pic.twitter.com/eCUtZJKZO5
It was clear there was a demand for COVID-19 testing earlier in the day when the association said more than 700 cars lined up Saturday morning at Lot J, the state’s regional testing site that can test up to 750 people each day.
Over 700 cars in line at the state run @FLSERT Lot J #COVID19 Test Site at @TIAABankField this Saturday morning. What you need to know:
— Florida Association of Public Information Officers (@FloridaPIOs) June 27, 2020
✔Working A/C is needed
✔Windows must remain up to maintain safety for staff and others being tested on site.
✔Windows must open/close pic.twitter.com/K8Vit0g4tP
Before the line was cut off, the association said at one point that the wait time was five hours.
Current wait time at Lot J in #Jacksonville: 🔺5 HOURS #State run @FLSERT Lot J #COVID19 Test Site at @TIAABankField has a current wait time of five hours.
— Florida Association of Public Information Officers (@FloridaPIOs) June 27, 2020
Testing starts again at 9AM Sunday morning. pic.twitter.com/bHLCY6EAOm
On Saturday, 784 active virus swab tests and 134 antibody tests were performed at the Lot J site. So far, 33,775 active virus swab tests have been completed at the site.
The drive-through testing site is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, weather permitting.
JaxReady said the Legends Center testing site opened at 9 a.m. with over 150 people waiting. As of about 9:40 a.m., according to JaxReady, the anticipated wait time was two hours.
The Legends Center Test Site opened at 9 a.m. with over 150 clients in the queue. This is an anticipated 2 hour wait. If you are considering going to the Legends Center Test Site, please understand that the wait time is considerable. pic.twitter.com/WzNvlVEhYh
— JaxReady (@JaxReady) June 27, 2020
Just before 4 p.m., JaxReady said the line had been cut off for the day.
The city-run walk-up site, which can test up to 400 per day, is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Legends Center Test Site: Please DO NOT visit the Legends Center Test Site if you are not already in line.
— JaxReady (@JaxReady) June 27, 2020
The queue has been cut off for today. There are 400 clients, the maximum capacity to be tested at this site, in line.
The site will open again tomorrow at 9 a.m. pic.twitter.com/G5dLDR0oPU
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Several churches in the Jacksonville area have also partnered with the state and other organizations to offer free COVID-19 testing. Cars could be seen lined up Sanctuary at Mt. Calvery on Kings Road, where testing was offered Saturday and will be available again from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
“When the community is being affected and ravaged, as the African American community has, it’s so important that we not just make a test available in terms of the city, but make it available in the neighborhoods, in the communities here. We were able to do that overwhelming. You could hear people to say, all the time, ‘Thank you for being here,‘” Newman said.
Florida and Duval County yet again saw single-day records for new coronavirus cases, according to numbers released Saturday by the state Department of Health.
A total of 9,585 additional cases were reported Saturday morning, bringing the statewide total to 132,545.
The numbers reported Saturday also showed a single-day record increase of new COVID-19 cases in Duval County for the third day in a row. Duval County reported 677 additional cases since Friday, bringing the county’s caseload to 4,848.