ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The COVID-19 test site at Barnett Park reached capacity for a ninth consecutive day Thursday and will remain closed until after Christmas, Orange County announced.

Lines formed early at the location, mostly of people wanting to be tested before traveling to see family for Christmas.

People who still need a test before Christmas now will have to try scheduling an appointment at a pharmacy or other location, if available.

The park’s gates opened at 7 a.m., and testing started at 9 a.m. More than a dozen cars lined up to get through, hours beforehand.

It’s because the site has been reaching capacity and closing early every day this week. It closed down just after 1 p.m. Wednesday, when they’re normally open until 4.

Some people returned Thursday to try again after being unable to get a test yesterday.

Reaching capacity means people at the end of the line at that point have such a long wait time— they will be there until staff are set to leave at 4 p.m.

Site staff has also suggested at-home tests as this location will reopen Sunday. Another testing location is being added, starting Monday at Econ Soccer Park.

BUSY TESTING SITE 

According to the county, the Barnett Park testing site has reached capacity and had to close down early every day since Dec. 15. It also reached capacity on Dec. 11-10. 

Before that, the last time the site had to close early was on Nov. 27, county officials said.

Many people, anticipating another early closure at the site, arrived long before it opened at 9 a.m. — and a line of cars stretched back to the Orlando Fairgrounds at times even after testing got underway Wednesday morning.

Experts say testing demand has spiked as the omicron variant races across the country ahead of the holiday weekend.

The site averages about 1,200 tests per day with a full staff and four lines of vehicles, and while getting a test could mean hours waiting in line, officials say there have not been any delays in getting results. 

Daniella Sullivan, with the Orange County Medical Clinic, urged anyone wanting to get a test to arrive as early as possible to make sure they get a spot, because workers anticipate reaching capacity early each day for the foreseeable future.

"Please come early," she said. "Don't wait until the end of the day to come to the testing site. As I said, once we reach capacity, once our wait time exceeds the amount of hours we have left, we have to close the line for testing."

County officials advised anyone wanting to get a test at the Barnett Park site to get in line by 7 a.m. — two hours before opening — in order to secure a spot.

Vaccination availability at the site has not been affected by the demand for testing, officials said. Even after testing was shut down for the day just before 2 p.m. Tuesday, people could still go to Barnett Park to get vaccinated.

Orange County officials announced Wednesday that to alleviate some of the pressure on the Barnett Park site, a second testing site at the Econ Soccer Complex will open on Dec. 27.

The site, located at 8035 Yates Road, will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the exception of New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

Vaccinations will not be administered at the Econ Soccer Complex site.

For anyone wanting to take a COVID-19 test that doesn't involve waiting in line for hours, there are also at-home testing kits that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Even those, though, have started to become scarce as the testing demand continues to increase.

Spectrum News reporter Justin Soto contributed to this story.