FORT MYERS — People had to wait hours to be tested at CenturyLink Stadium Monday.
The backup was caused by a software connection issue that shut the site down for a bit. The Florida Department of Emergency Management also says more people are coming out to get tested in general, and that’s a trend they’re seeing across the state.
The line of cars waiting outside the stadium stretched the entire length of Ben C. Pratt Six Mile Cypress Parkway.
“We saw a line, but we couldn’t believe it was for the testing," said Tom Brennan.
Brennan got out of his car and finally walked down to the gate to see what the hold up was.
“We’ve been in line now for about an hour and 15 minutes. Long past our 1:00 appointment," said Brennan.
But we soon learned, Brennan was one of the lucky ones.
“Almost two hours now," said Earl Givens.
Givens said he got in line early, but he still missed his appointment time.
“I did not expect this much of a wait, but I expected a wait, and so I’m glad I got here when I did," said Givens.
Brennan thinks the influx of people getting tested might be from the trends they’re seeing on the news.
“We see the numbers go up, so people want to get tested as much as they can," said Brennan.
And the numbers are going up.
On Sunday, Florida had more than 10,000 positive cases, which was the highest single-day rate since July 25th. So COVID-19 is on people’s minds, and they’re willing to wait to find out if they’re part of that statistic.
Brennan said, he was just glad he didn’t have any other plans.
“I got my golf in early this morning, so I did okay," said Brennan.
FDOE also said it has also changed the procedure at CenturyLink. It's only letting a certain amount of cars in at a time to protect workers on foot. So if you do need to get tested, come early, and expect a wait.
