DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. — Say hello to new drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites in Duval County!
Three new by-appointment options opened up around the area Wednesday to give people with or without symptoms more choices if they want to get swabbed.
On day one, things ran smoothly at the new Arlington site at Regency Square Mall.
In fact, Melissa Bujeda with Florida Department of Emergency Management said the site ran so efficiently it added 400 more appointments Wednesday -- on top of the already 1,250 that had filled up.
Gary Anderson was one of the people from Duval County who snagged a newly opened appointment.
“You know I just went online this morning, and it gave me a time. Simple as that, and I’m here," Anderson explained.
Those who come with appointments made online are simply asked to have a screenshot up on their phone or print out the voucher with their registration number.
Bujeda said people can drive up and make appointments on site but should expect a delay.
Ometre Patterson lives close to Regency Square Mall and is just glad she doesn’t have to tackle the crowds at Lot J.
“I thank them for setting this site up, because it’s convenient," Patterson said. "So, I don’t have to go downtown or sit in long lines.”
The Regency testing site has sturdier tents that can withstand rain, according to the Department of Emergency Management.
Regency will eventually replace the Lot J testing site on Thursday, July 16.
The last day tests will be given at Lot J is Wednesday, July 15.
There are two other new appointment-based, drive-thru federal testing sites in Duval County that opened Wednesday -- at First Coast Senior High School on the Northside and Frank H. Peterson Academies on the Westside. These temporary sites will close Wednesday, July 15.
The new drive-thru testing sites are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
This follows after Jacksonville was added to the list of cities the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services deemed "hotspot jurisdictions."