Seven new walk-in Covid testing centers are being established this week

Updated 1 hour ago

This week SEVEN NEW WALK-IN Covid-19 testing centers will be established for asymptomatic people in various locations in Ireland, where there is a high rate of coronavirus infections.

The centers will replace the five pop-up test locations that were established last week, which will close tonight.

You do not need an appointment with your GP to attend one of the centers and there is no fee. People with Covid-19 symptoms are still advised to arrange a test through a GP.

Anyone attending the centers must bring a photo ID and provide a mobile phone number so they can be contacted with their results.

The test centers will be open from 11 a.m. M. A 7 p. M. For three to seven days.

Three of the facilities will open tomorrow and the other four will begin testing on Friday.

The centers that open tomorrow are:

• Dublin City Education and Training Board, Coláiste Eoin, Finglas, Dublin (for 7 days)
• Quay Street car park, Balbriggan, Dublin (for 7 days)
• Navan O’Mahonys GAA Club, Paddy O’Brien Park, Navan, Meath (for 5 days)

The centers that open on Friday are:

• Naas Racecourse, Tipper Road, Naas, Kildare (for 5 days)
• Crumlin GAA Clubhouse, Lorcan O ‘Toole Park, Crumlin, Dublin (for 7 days)
• Athlone Regional Sports Center, Brawny Road, Athlone, Westmeath (for 5 days)
• Town Hall / Library Parking, Ballinasloe, Galway (for 3 days)

The testing centers were established to help understand why Covid-19 is spreading in certain areas and to help discover cases where people are not experiencing any symptoms.

Each center aims to perform 300-500 Covid-19 tests per day.

The HSE said increasing the number of people being tested helps better understand how and why the virus is spreading faster in certain areas.

“Our pop-up walk-in testing centers are targeting areas where there is the highest risk of disease right now,” said Niamh O’Beirne, national leader for HSE testing and tracking.

“There was very significant uptake at the five temporary centers that opened last week, and we look forward to continuing this at our new walk-in testing centers.”