PASCO COUNTY, Fla. – The Florida Department of Health in Pasco County (DOH-Pasco) and the BayCare COVID-19 testing site at Gulfview Square Mall in Port Richey will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, in observance of Veteran’s Day. Both will reopen at the regularly scheduled times on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020.
When testing resumes, it will be available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the south end of the Gulfview Square Mall formerly occupied by Sears Auto Center.
DOH-Pasco continues to urge members of the public to follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by practicing everyday preventive actions like social distancing, wearing a cloth face covering when you are out in public, and practicing proper hand hygiene to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially during this federal holiday.
According to the CDC, limiting face-to-face contact with others is the best way to reduce the spread of COVID-19. To practice social distancing, stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arms’ length) from other people. Social distancing is especially important for people who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19, such as older people or people with underlying medical conditions.
For additional information and CDC guidance on social distancing, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/social-distancing.html.
Cloth face coverings can help prevent those who may have COVID-19 and not know it from spreading the virus to those around them. People should wear cloth face coverings in public settings even when social distancing.
The CDC has posted its guidance on cloth face coverings to its website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html.
Keeping your hands clean is especially important to keep COVID-19 from spreading. Wash your hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. An alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol can also be used, but not as a substitute for cleaning hands with soap and water.
For CDC guidance on when and how to effectively wash your hands, visit https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html.
For more information on COVID-19 in Florida, visit www.floridahealth.gov/covid-19, email covid-19@flhealth.gov or call (866) 779-6121.
