LI residents returning for holiday rush to get tested for coronavirus

Long Island residents are scrambling to get their coronavirus tests ahead of Thanksgiving.

News 12 Staff

Nov 25, 2020, 10:35 PM

Updated 1,473 days ago

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Long Island residents are scrambling to get their coronavirus tests ahead of Thanksgiving.
Dozens of people lined up into the parking lot and nearby sidewalks at a Pro-Health in Huntington Station.
Most rapid testing sites in Nassau and Suffolk County require an appointment, and many don't have any open slots.
At one Huntington Station Walgreens, News 12 was told they were already booked for the day.
Another free rapid testing site in Nassau County last week reported no availability until after the holiday.
The Centers for Disease and Control has urged residents across the country to only celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with those in their household, but millions still traveled by plane over the weekend to get to their families.
A total of 7,000 domestic flights are also expected to be in the air today.
Urgent cares across Long Island say an influx of those travelers have been coming in for tests after flying in.
AAA says around 48 million travelers are also taking to the road as guidelines have continued to change in different states.
Officials are also urging those traveling on the roads to check restrictions for the states they are traveling to as some are requiring a negative coronavirus test that was taken within the last 72 hours. Other states are requiring travelers to fill out forms to avoid fines or to quarantine when they arrive.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a press conference Tuesday that while getting tested is good, extreme caution should still be taken since you can test negative one day and positive the next.