Miami Airport to Offer Free COVID-19 Tests to Travelers

To return home after a vacation in the United States, or to start a trip abroad, it is almost always necessary to present a negative COVID-19 test carried out within 72 hours of arrival at the new destination. Most countries also require that said test be the PCR – not the rapid test – which is very easy to get in cities like Miami but usually creates stress for travelers as it can sometimes take up to receipt of results. at 48 hours. Plus, it involves an extra level of preparedness for the many things that need to be anticipated before traveling by air, especially during a pandemic.

Miami, the quintessential tourist destination, wants to keep it simple. To avoid all these types of complications, Miami International Airport is offering COVID 19 PCR tests starting this Friday, free of charge and providing results as early as 40 minutes.

Travelers and airport workers are the ones who can benefit from this new service.

The new test center is operating in the airport’s Terminal E outside Gate 11. To speed up the process, people are encouraged to make an appointment on the Miami-Dade County website. If you haven’t arrived in time to request an appointment, you can go to the exam center and be assisted in order of arrival.

The mobile lab will operate daily from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. ORThey offer PCR and antigen testing.

The initiative was promoted by the county, the airport and the Communitel medical center. The operations were launched this Friday after an inauguration ceremony led by Daniella Levine Cava, Aldean from Miami-Dade, Lester Sola, airport manager and Pedro Peláez, CEO of Communitel, among other local authorities.

This service is in addition to the temporary vaccination center that Miami-Dade County has opened at the airport. Between May 10 and May 14, the county offered free doses of the vaccine developed by Pfizer at the Miami airport, on the fourth floor of Terminal D, as well as at the taxi rank outside the airport. for those to whom they would like to receive their doses. without getting out of a car. The airport’s temporary vaccination center will reopen between June 1 and June 4, with a deadline available on June 7. It will always be between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The mayor of Miami-Dade has said that in order to deal with the pandemic, the county wants to make vaccines as accessible as possible to everyone who comes to Miami. Now also offering PCR tests not only makes life easier for travelers, but also offers an additional possibility of virus detection.

So far, according to official figures, in Miami-Dade County 59% of residents over 16 have been vaccinated with at least one dose of the vaccine. 45 percent have already received their full vaccination. For those over 65, who are in the highest risk group, the numbers are much better. In this segment of society, in Miami-Dade, 83% have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 68% already have both doses.

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