Free COVID-19 testing coming to Niceville, Okaloosa County [SITES, SCHEDULE]

NICEVILLE, Fla — Free COVID-19 tests will be available beginning Thursday to all Okaloosa County residents at five rotating testing sites in Okaloosa County, including one in Niceville. Residents do not need to show symptoms of the disease to receive a free test.

UPDATED MAY 13, 2020 | ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MAY 12, 2020

NICEVILLE, Fla — Free COVID-19 tests will be available beginning Thursday to all Okaloosa County residents at five rotating testing sites in Okaloosa County, including one in Niceville. Residents do not need to show symptoms of the disease to receive a free test.

Okaloosa County Commissioners voted Tuesday to implement the free testing for at least the next four weeks.

Testing at outdoor drive-through sites will take place every Tuesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the five sites on a rotating basis. Sites will be in Crestview, Baker, Niceville, Fort Walton Beach and Destin.

The tests will start on May 14 at the Crestview Community Center. Testing in Niceville is May 21 at Northwest Florida State College.

The five sites for drive-through tests and the testing schedule for May are shown below:

• Crestview Community Center, 1446 Commerce Drive, Crestview — THURSDAY, MAY 14, 8 A.M. TO 11 A.M.
• Baker Emergency Medical Services Station 5, State Road 4 and U.S. Highway 90 — TUESDAY, MAY 26, 8 A.M. TO 11 A.M.
• Northwest Florida State College main campus, 100 College Blvd. East, Niceville — THURSDAY, MAY 21, 8 A.M. TO 11 A.M.
• NWF State College campus, 1170 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Fort Walton Beach — THURSDAY, MAY 28
• Destin United Methodist Church, 200 Beach Drive, Destin — TUESDAY, MAY 19, 8 A.M. to 11 A.M.

Tests will be provided by the county Department of Public Safety/Emergency Medical Services Division and the state Department of Health in Okaloosa County. The county is expecting to test 100 residents during each three-hour-long session.

To take part, residents must bring their driver license or another government-issued form of identification. No appointment is necessary.

Participants must stay in their vehicles during the testing which consists of a nose swab. Swabs will be tested at a state lab. Results are expected to take five to seven days.