PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. — Maryland’s Health Department is being blasted for failing to offer COVID-19 testing Wednesday at a site in Hyattsville that opened with much fanfare last week.
The site at the MVA emissions testing center did not open despite previous announcements that testing would be offered Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A WUSA9 photographer saw authorities turning away vehicles with people seeking testing.
County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said in a tweet, "The State did not notify us they were closing their testing site in Hyattsville today. We regret so many of our residents were inconvenienced by this unexpected closing."
Rep. Anthony Brown (D- MD) called the unexpected closure an "outrage" on Twitter.
Maryland’s Department of Health did not announce the closure until a Tweet went out at about 12:30 p.m., well after the 10 a.m. opening that people hoping for tests expected.
Meanwhile, Gov. Larry Hogan announced another site would be opened at Six Flags America in Upper Marlboro starting Friday.
In an email to WUSA9, Maryland Department of Health spokesman Charlie Gischlar said: "Given the high demand for the Hyattsville site, where we had a record day of testing on Friday, we are opening a new site at Six Flags America so we can get even more tests to more Marylanders."
Gischlar did not immediately respond to questions about why the state is being accused by local authorities of failing to notify them or the public of the Hyattsville site closure.