ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — With just days until Thanksgiving, testing sites in Central Florida are becoming more and more busy and COVID-19 case numbers are increasing.


What You Need To Know

  • In the past two weeks, more than 5,400 people in Orange County tested positive for COVID-19

  • With Thanksgiving just days away, the CDC is urging people to stay home this year

  • Regardless, many people were getting tested Sunday before heading out for the holiday

Over the last two weeks more than 5,400 people tested positive in Orange County.

Barnett Park in is one of the county's testing sites.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging against traveling this Thanksgiving, but with many people still planning to go out, most are getting tested before hitting the road.

Sunday morning and throughout the day there was a line of cars at Barnett Park as people got tested.

“We are visiting family in Lancaster, Pennsylvania,” said Henry Browning.

Part of the Pennsylvania restriction said is that if you are coming from outside the state, you have to have a COVID-19 test within 72 hours of entering.

“We are getting our rapid tests for our travel this afternoon we are flying out,” Browning said.

Browning and Cassandra Hoffer plan to visit both of their families up north.

They’re not the only ones with that mindset. More than 125,000 people were tested each day in Florida between Wednesday and Friday.

Those are the most recent numbers from the Department of Health.

Nearly 26,000 people tested positive during that time period.

While some people are heading out of town, the CDC is encouraging people not to travel.

Victor Serrano is one of those who got tested Sunday but was planning to stay in Orlando for Thanksgiving.

“Tying to spread out in the backyard, people inside just to be careful looking what to do with the new COVID this year,” said Serrano.