PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – Just as Christmas Eve arrived, Florida hit a new daily record for COVID-19 cases after reporting nearly 31,758 over the past 24 hours.
It comes as millions are hitting the road, and the skies, for holiday gatherings with friends and family.
Travel numbers are on track to reach pre-pandemic levels despite the growing concern over the omicron variant.
COVID-19 testing sites in Miami-Dade and Broward have also seen large crowds all week, with wait times often lasting multiple hours.
Those who waited until the last minute to get their tests are running into trouble, because it’s not just the long lines they are dealing with, but some sites are running out of tests while others are closed for the holiday.
At the CB Smith Park testing site in Pembroke Pines, those who didn’t get the memo were showing up Friday afternoon to find cones blocking the entrance, and a sign telling them there are closed.
With Broward County test sites closed through Saturday in observance of Christmas, the search and scramble is on for people looking for alternatives.
Walgreens and CVS told Cheryl Watkins they were not testing, and that the labs were closed until Saturday night.
Some people got lucky, or what they called a Christmas miracle after happening upon a pop-up testing site in the parking lot of a veterinarian in Hallandale Beach.
Around 30 people were in line Friday morning to get a rapid test.
For information on where you can get a COVID-19 test or vaccine in South Florida, click here.