Two additional pop-up testing facilities will open in Dublin this weekend, increasing testing capacity by between 180 and 200 tests per day, the HSE has said.
The two centres – located at Handball Alley, Croke Park, and in Castleknock – will offer free testing for anyone with coronavirus symptoms who has been referred for a test by a GP.
Appointments at Handball Alley will be offered from 11.30am until 6.30pm from September 5th until September 11th, while appointments at the Castleknock centre will also be offered from 11.30am to 6.30pm from September 5th until September 11th.
Those being tested will be required to follow public health measures during the process, including social distancing, not travelling there by taxi or public transport, practising good personal hygiene and wearing a face covering throughout, including while travelling to and from the centre.
The pop-up centres will run in conjunction with the community testing centre based at the National Show Centre in Swords. They are part of an expansion of testing facilities provided by the HSE to meet increasing demand for Covid-19 testing.
In addition to these extra pop-up centres, four new community testing centres have recently been set up to manage local demand, including two new community testing centres in Dublin, one in Kildare and one in Portlaoise.
Mobile units
Across the country there are now 30 community testing centres, as well as mobile units for outbreak management and home testing, which is available through the national ambulance centre.
Anyone who tests positive for the virus will be contacted by HSE contact tracers to help them track their contacts. This will help people to identify who they may have been in close contact with, protecting others from further transmission.
Close contacts of those who have tested positive will also hear from HSE contact tracers, advising them to restrict their movements by staying at home for 14 days and to organise coronavirus testing to prevent them from unknowingly spreading the virus.
Mellany McLoone, chief officer of the HSE community health organisation for Dublin north city and county, said getting a coronavirus test is “now faster and easier than ever”.
“These two pop-up centres mean that anyone who has symptoms can call their GP to get a free test and quickly find out whether they have the virus and need to stay at home, or if they can safely return to their normal routine,” she said.
“I would like to convey our sincere thanks to Croke Park and the local residents for facilitating us to provide this very valuable service to our population.”
