Duval County’s only city-funded, rapid COVID testing site will stay open until at least this summer, and it won’t be limiting tests anymore.
The Neptune Beach location ran out of tests by 11 a.m. every day for the past week.
Jacksonville’s chief administrative officer, Brian Hughes, told City Council that the site, operated by Telescope Health, should start testing as many people as it can from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. starting Wednesday.
"They should be able to go back to as many as they can serve in the day rather than throttling back on the number," Hughes said.
City Council won’t pay for the COVID testing extension to this summer, as originally warned. The city is now seeking reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to fund its five testing sites.
The extension comes as state officials try to crack down on people getting tested when they don't have COVID symptoms.
In contrast to federal guidance, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo have criticized Floridians for routinely seeking testing and issued guidance limiting who they think should get tested.
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