Jacksonville councilman files bill for 3 more COVID test sites

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Jacksonville councilman files authorities for 3 much COVID trial sites

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – City Councilman Garrett Dennis connected Wednesday introduced authorities to bring 3 much COVID-19 investigating sites to the Jacksonville area.

The bid calls for $5 cardinal successful exigency backing for the sites. The 3 locations include:

College Park connected University Boulevard North
Lane Wiley Senior Center connected Wiley Road
Shoppes of Sherwood connected Soutel Drive

A quality merchandise from Dennis’ bureau said the determination comes amid the uptick successful section COVID cases and agelong waiting lines astatine the existent investigating sites. To go effective, the authorities needs Mayor Lenny Curry’s signature.

“This is thing we can’t proceed to speech about. We request to act,” Dennis said. “The metropolis of Jacksonville has the funds to bash it and truthful we person to enactment our wealth wherever our rima is.”

Dennis said the $5 cardinal volition screen the investigating costs, noting that immoderate COVID tests outgo astir $100.

“It volition beryllium escaped investigating for our citizens present successful Jacksonville,” Dennis said.

The councilman said the city’s savings relationship has $200 cardinal successful it that could beryllium used. He said it volition beryllium reimbursed with $172 cardinal successful funds from the national government.

The locations would beryllium tally by Agape Community Health Center, which has been working with the metropolis connected a program to unfastened additional locations.

Dennis hopes to get the authorities successful beforehand of the City Council connected Tuesday. If it gets approved, helium hopes to person the further sites unfastened by Aug. 16.

As of late, the Florida Department of Health successful Duval County’s Central Health Plaza has been swamped with radical successful enactment for testing. Hundreds of radical were successful enactment Tuesday, with immoderate telling News4Jax they stood successful enactment for much than an hour.

It was the aforesaid Wednesday for Darren Clark.

“It’s been a small implicit an hour. The enactment is beauteous extensive, particularly for a Wednesday,” Clark said.

For Leisa Campbell, the hold was the same.

“All the different appointments for immoderate sites they’re each wholly booked up,” Campbell said.

The Duval County Health Department is besides exploring the thought of expanding investigating hours astatine the existent sites.