3x more people tested on first day alone than during entire month of April… Hundreds of Immokalee residents walk, bike, and drive to mass testing site after governor, local health officials respond to growing call for support… Immokalee residents line up to be tested for COVID-19 on Sunday as the Collier County Department of Health begins three days of testing following calls by the CIW and tens of thousands of allies for more attention from state and local health officials for the vulnerable farmworker community. Department of Health spokesperson: “We have heard the needs of Immokalee. We understand the unique needs.” 3 times more people tested on first day alone than during entire month of April… After more than a month of calls to the governor, nearly 40,000 petition signatures, and countless national media stories, the pleas of Immokalee’s farmworker community for vital aid in the fight against the coronavirus are starting to be heard. State and local health officials organized a mass testing site in Immokalee for three days starting this past Sunday, and hundreds of Immokalee residents lined up for a chance to learn if they had contracted the deadly virus: Here’s a report from Southwest Florida’s NPR affiliate, WGCU: Two hours before testing was set to begin at the Collier Department of Health's Immokalee branch, people began lining up. Some held umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun. Kristine Hollingsworth of the Collier DOH surveyed the site to ensure testing could be done safely and smoothly. “We have fans, we have marks on the ground where people will know to stand six feet apart and continue to practice social distancing,” Hollingsworth said. “There’s plenty of hand sanitizer, there’s hand washing stations, so we are fully prepared.” Hollingsworth said the testing site was an interagency effort. Collier Sheriff’s Office deputies were onsite to help direct traffic, members of the local fire department were on hand, the Collier Area Transit even had buses onsite that were being used to cool patients who needed a break from the Southwest Florida heat… … Bringing a testing site to Immokalee was something local nonprofits repeatedly asked county officials for during weekly community conference calls to discuss the COVID-19 response in Immokalee.... Read the full update over at the CIW site! Coalition of Immokalee Workers (239) 657 8311 | [email protected] | www.ciw-online.org Connect with us ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Coalition of Immokalee Workers | 110 S 2nd St, Immokalee, FL 34142 Unsubscribe [email protected] About Constant Contact Sent by [email protected] in collaboration with Try email marketing for free today!