Mayor Curry has goal to reopen Jacksonville in May

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After announcing how a $160 million federal grant will be used to help some of Jacksonville’s hardest-hit residents, small businesses and help cover the city’s costs dealing with COVID-19, Mayor Lenny Curry said Thursday his goal is to get Jacksonville reopened in May.

“Not late May," Curry said. “I’m restless. My family is restless. And they should be. It’s time to get people back.”

Curry said he and his team are working on how and when to get the city open again.

One thing that will help make that happen is more coronavirus testing. On Friday, a walk-up site will open at Kooker Park on the Eastside. Over the next few days, Curry said additional sites will open in other Jacksonville neighborhoods. The city is working with Walmart to open drive-up testing sites in two of its parking lots.

Jacksonville has also been selected as a national test site for providing testing of the homeless population.