Collier County Department of Health closes COVID-19 test site for New Year’s

Collier County is seeing a nearly 300% spike in cases, and until Jan. 3, the testing site at the Florida Department of Health in Collier County will be closed.

It is a site that tests nearly 300 people every day, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get tested. If you want to check whether or not you have the virus, you still have the option to get tested at a retail pharmacy like CVS or Walgreens.

In the middle of a pandemic, a ‘closed’ sign is one you don’t want to see at a testing site, but it’ll be up until Monday in front of the Collier County Department of Health.

Kristine Hollingworth with the department said it wasn’t a decision made on the local level. “Governor DeSantis issued a press release stating that all state offices would be closed Thursday, Dec. 30, and Friday, Dec.31 in honor of New Year’s. This affects all state offices, not just Department of Health. It also affects our labs, which is why we are closing COVID-19 testing.”

This week, the county saw a 291% increase in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases compared to the week before.

Residents like Steve Chancy said that number doesn’t concern him. “This variant is a lot weaker than the previous one. So, I don’t think it’s quite as serious. So, I’m pretty feeling safe about that.”

If you are in Collier County and it does concern you, there are other options for getting a COVID-19 test done.

“People do have the option to make appointments either at commercial pharmacies such as CVS or Walgreens, as well as going to the site at CenturyLink in Fort Myers,” said Hollingworth.

Many of the Walgreens and CVS pharmacies in Collier County did not have appointments for same-day rapid testing.

Make sure to check their websites and make appointments as early as possible to help ensure you can get your test.