State takes over federal coronavirus test sites

Gov. Ron DeSantis in Jacksonville

As coronavirus continues to spread, the state of Florida will take over responsibility for federal testing sites in Jacksonville, Orange County, and the Miami area.

The Orange County Convention Center and Hard Rock Stadium, in addition to Jacksonville’s Lot J, will be kept going, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday.

“All three of those sites are going to continue,” DeSantis said, with “expanded criteria.”

Lot J, previously capped at 250 tests a day for a limited pool of potentially infected people, had already been expanded to 400.

Orlando and Miami had “more demand than that,” DeSantis said, saying 250 would no longer be the hard cap.

In addition to testing the elderly and first responders, expanded testing will cover anybody with coronavirus symptoms, regardless of age.

First responders and health care workers, including those at long-term care facilities will also be tested, the Governor said, along with “anybody who has had close sustained contact with an individual that has recently tested positive.”

“Even if you personally haven’t developed symptoms,” DeSantis said “asymptomatic” people spread the disease.

On Friday, state and local officials convened at the site, located at Jacksonville’s Sports Complex, to discuss next steps. Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz, Florida National Guard Assistant Adjutant General John Haas and Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry were on hand.

The Governor said that by next week, he expected 200,000 tests, which accounts for one in every 140 Floridians.

“We’ve been able to ramp this up … and we want to keep doing it,” DeSantis said.

“This was only supposed to go until April 10,” the Governor added, noting that his administration thought it “important to keep this going.”

The disease continues to spread, with 705 new cases overnight and nearly 2,400 people hospitalized.

For now, the state can handle that, DeSantis said. Even in hotspots, hospitals still have over 40% of their available beds.

National Guard members will be deployed at the three federal sites, DeSantis said, adding that FEMA would be sending more supplies as well.