Camping World Stadium reopens as COVID-19 testing site

ORLANDO, Fla. – Camping World Stadium is once again serving as a COVID-19 drive-thru testing site starting, according to city officials.

The testing site, which reopened Monday, will operate seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until further notice.

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Lenard Presley went to Camping World Stadium Monday after dropping off his daughter at school. He said he was happy to hear another site is now available.

“I actually just drove by and I said, ‘I’m going to stop.’ I just want to make sure I’m safe. I’m good,” Presley said.

The City of Orlando set up the site to try and relieve some of the long wait times at other mass testing sites in Orange County.

Marcos McGhan lined up early outside of Camping World Stadium. He started feeling sick over the weekend and wanted to get a rapid test.

“It hard to get tested and appointment to get a test and with them opening this, trust me it’s a blessing and we appreciate it,” McGhan said.

Orlando officials said the site offers PCR and rapid tests. Mayor Buddy Dyer said the city will not follow Florida’s new testing guidelines, allowing anyone to be tested regardless of symptoms.

“Our policy (is) anyone that wants to be tested and make sure they don’t have COVID and they do have COVID, we are welcoming them,” Dyer said. “We follow the federal standards versus the state standards.”

Dyer said college football games in Orlando kept leaders from reopening the stadium site earlier.

“We just had two bowl games at Camping World so it wasn’t available to use as a testing site, and that’s the best testing site we have to operate the way we can bring vehicles in through the parking lot,” he said.

Dyer said the city hopes to announce two more testing sites in the future.

There are no appointments required, but people are encouraged to fill out forms in advance.

There will be no vaccinations offered at this site.

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