Miami-Dade Commissioner Joe Martinez has been after the state and the county to open a coronavirus testing center at the Youth Fair grounds, where there is already a field hospital, and on Tuesday, he got word that testing would begin on Wednesday.
Adults with COVID-19 symptoms must make an appointment first by calling 305-499-8767.
On March 30, Martinez officially urged the state to use the county-owned Youth Fair grounds in his district as a testing center for residents who live in West Miami-Dade. The next day — at 3:44 p.m., he said — Martinez got a reply: Nope.
“The State had decided not to use this site, which would be a perfect location for residents in West Miami-Dade County, particularly in District 11,” Martinez said in a statement. “I’m pleased that the state changed its mind.
“This testing site at the Youth Fairgrounds will not only benefit West Dade but also Westchester, Sweetwater, Doral and a large part of unincorporated Miami-Dade County,” Martinez said and Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz, who represents areas of Sweetwater and Doral, applauded him.
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This will be the eighth testing site open in the county. Others are open at Marlins Park in Little Havana, Amelia Earhart Park in Hialeah — where Commissioner Esteban “Stevie” Bovo said 20% of the tests were 
positive in just the first two days — the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, the South Dade Government Center, two parks in Southwest Miami-Dade and the Medright Urgent Care Center in Miami Beach.
On Monday, a ninth drive-through testing site will open in Homestead at Martin Luther King, Jr. / Clinica Campesina Health Center, 810 W. Mowry Dr. For hours and more information, visit the county’s coronavirus webpage.
State funds pay for the testing and the National Guard presence, Martinez said. The county pays for police, fire or, in some cases, other personnel.
On Friday, the Florida Department of Health reported that 5,126 people had tested positive for COVID19 in Miami-Dade. Of those, at least 316 are hospitalized and 47 have died.
In the zip codes immediately around where the Youth Fair grounds are located — which includes Westchester, Olympia Heights, Westwood Lakes, University Park, Kendale Lakes, Tamiami, Sweetwater, Doral and the Fountaineblue area — there are already at least 299 confirmed positive cases according to the dashboard, that now provides data by zip code.\
The testing site can be accessed on Southwest 107th Avenue by 20th Street.
Joe Martinez gets Miami-Dade’s 8th COVID19 testing site at Youth Fair added by Ladra on
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