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Free COVID-19 testing available Sunday at Chester Street Resource Center

By Staff | Jul 22, 2020

This Sunday, up to 500 Cape Coral residents over the age of 18 can be tested for COVID-19 at the Chester Street Resource Center without fee or appointment.

These 500 free tests come via a partnership between the Florida Department of Health in Lee County, the city of Cape Coal and the Cape Coral Fire Department.

Testing will begin at 8:30 a.m. and run, weather permitting, until 4 p.m., or until all available tests have been administered. There will be two drive-thru lanes and one walk-up lane in use.

Samples will be administered and collected by CCFD which will then turn them over to DOH to be processed.

“We are grateful that we have been able to work with our healthcare partners, Lee Health and now the Florida Department of Health, to provide much needed COVID-19 testing for our community,” said CCFD Chief Ryan Lamb. “Along with social distancing, washing your hands and wearing a mask, testing is important in preventing the spread of the virus and keeping residents and their families healthy and safe. We are doing our part with assistance from your Cape Coral firefighters to help improve access to testing.”

Cape Coral Mayor Joe Coveillo called the additional free testing an opportunity for residents.

“This is an excellent accessible drive-thru location for testing in the South Cape,” Coviello said. “If you are in need of getting tested, this will be an excellent opportunity for the residents of our city to do so. I want to thank our first responders of the fire and police departments for checking the residents in and administering the test.”

On June 30, employees of Lee Health and CCFD set up shop at the Chester Street Resource Center, where a by-appointment-only collection site opened to help serve the growing needs of the public.

The site was opened by the city of Cape Coral in partnership with Lee Health after a rise in positive tests locally and throughout the state. The test site is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Satur-days, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

A prior testing site at Cape Coral Sports Complex was closed in May.

Members of the Cape Fire Department have been trained on how to properly administer the nasal swab test. Specimens will be collected at the site and sent to Lee Health for processing.

This free collection on July 26 will not be processed by Lee Health, but by the DOH.

The site is easily accessible by turning south on Candia Street from Cape Coral Parkway and then west onto Lafayette Street. A mask must be worn at all times by those getting tested. Windows must be up at all times. A mask is only to be removed and a window rolled down when the test is administered.

Those who would like to schedule a test and cannot attend July 26 or arrive after tests are available can obtain a physician’s order through a primary care physician, an urgent care center or by visiting Lee Telehealth at www.leetelehealth.org.

The Chester Street Resource Center is at 4816 Chester St., in the South Cape.

-Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad_cj