Several Center for Covid Control testing sites close in Southwest Florida

Days after WINK News began an investigation into the Center for Covid Control when viewers said they received false test results, many sites shut down. WINK News told viewers on Thursday that these closures could be coming. One of these Southwest Florida sites even appeared to close for good.

WINK News went to the testing site in Cape Coral to confirm that it would close as predicted. While there, a Department of Health investigator came to investigate. The sites in Bonita Springs and at Edison Mall were also closed.

All of these sites were locked up and have shut down. But…why? In a statement from the Center for Covid Control, it said in part, “It’s committed to providing high-quality testing service while ensuring that we are compliant with all regulations and achieving high levels of patient satisfaction. We are doubling down on these efforts…”

The company’s goal is to reopen in Cape Coral, Bonita Springs and at the Edison Mall next Saturday, Jan. 22.

On Friday, in Cape Coral, WINK News was met by a Florida Department of Health investigator who simply said he was “investigating.” His superiors at the health department said they could neither confirm nor deny that an investigation is taking place.

Yassel Zaldivar was also at the testing site in Cape Coral. He showed up to find out where his COVID test results are.

When asked how many times he’d been to this testing site, he responded, “It was going to be the second time I came here.” This is the second time because Zaldivar never got his results from the first time.

“I came now to know the result of the test because it did not arrive,” said Saldivar.

The State Attorney General’s Office is now confirming that a woman from Fort Myers filed a complaint. That complaint was based on her experience at the Center for Covid Control location in Bonita Springs. This new claim against the company alleges that it charged $25 for a test.

This is part of a statement from that complaint to the State Attorney General’s Office, “They took only cash. I have to provide a photo of my driver’s license and insurance card… They had a tip jar which I thought was very strange.”

When WINK News first began this investigation into people getting tests results before they even took their tests, that happened at the Bonita Springs site. And, in that story, we showed you the tip jar. The man behind the desk handing out tests said the tip jar was for Tony, the dog.

WINK News spoke to the gym owner next door and other people who work and shop in the plaza. They’re glad the test site is closed. They hope it never reopens. We’ll find out a week from Saturday.

You can read the full statement from the Center for Covid Control below:

“CCC is committed to providing high quality testing service while ensuring that we are compliant with all regulations and achieving high levels of patient satisfaction. We are doubling down on these commitments by temporarily closing all locations in order to retrain our management and staff, while rolling out new procedures to help meet the unprecedented demand for testing. We thank you for your continued support and look forward to opening all our doors on Saturday, January 22nd to better serve the communities.”