OKEECHOBEE — A welcome addition to the Florida Department of Health (DOH) Okeechobee County’s efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 came in the form of an air-conditioned, self-contained tent with an air filtration system. The tent was donated by Okeechobee County to DOH-Okeechobee using the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES ACT) funding.

The tent has a portable air conditioner to help keep the nurses cooler, while wearing all the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for safety during testing for COVID-19. The tent is fully contained and has a powerful, portable filtration system engineered for odor neutralization plus air filtration.

Every morning, the nurses install the A/C unit and check for proper air flow. Then the portable air purifier is installed and turned on. These safety checks are performed daily.

DOH-Okeechobee is testing first responders and symptomatic health care personnel, law enforcement, school employees and students and symptomatic high-risk residents for COVID-19, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., by appointment only.