Jacksonville, FL. — We are approaching the fall season, which means kids are back in school, and parents are working. Those two factors could increase your chances of being exposed to COVID-19.
There’s a local, state-run testing site reducing its testing hours, starting Saturday.
If you want to get tested for COVID-19 or for COVID-19 antibodies, you will now need to show up between 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
“I think they should not reduce the hours, because you still have a lot of people that need to get tested,” Mary Nelson, a security officer at a chemical plant, told Action News Jax.
Numbers from the Florida Department of Emergency Management show fewer people have been getting tested for COVID-19 at the Regency testing site, since last month.
Nelson said she works around a lot of people and already been tested for COVID-19.
“But so far I take a lot of precautions, stay home, only come out when necessary,” Nelson said.
Data from the Department of Emergency Management shows at the beginning of last month – testing numbers fluctuated between about 1,200 and nearly 1,600 tests a day.
Exactly a month ago, that number was below a thousand.
There’s a similar trend at The Legends COVID-19 testing site.
The average number of COVID-19 tests there went from 331 per day in July to just 180 per day so far…for the month of August.
Nelson told Action News Jax that she thinks cutting back testing hours could be sending the wrong message.
“To me, it is making it seem like, ‘Don’t really worry about the virus right now,’ because they were trying to cut back. Like they have everything under control and they don’t to me,” Nelson said.
This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its testing guidelines.
The agency now says some people without symptoms may not need to be tested, even if they have been in contact with someone who knows they are COVID-19 positive.
The Regency COVID-19 testing site will still be open seven days a week, and drive-thru and walk-up testing is still going to be available.
Just remember if you are going to walk-up for testing, you must wear a mask.