Drive through Covid19 test centre opens in Limerick
By I Love Limerick correspondent Mary Caroline McCarthy
A new indoor drive-through Covid-19 testing centre with the ability to cater for up to 1,000 tests a day has opened in Limerick.
The facility, at the site of the former Wickes DIY store at Ballysimon Road East Point Retail Park, will operate from 8 am to 8 pm daily, for people referred for testing by their GPs. Ten bays will be in operation. Limerick Drive through Covid19 test
The opening of this centre meant the closing of two other test centres, located at the Gaelic grounds on the Ennis Road side of the city, which opened during the first wave of the pandemic, and the testing bay established recently at the St Joseph’s Hospital Campus on Mulgrave Street. The GAA and their staff in Limerick have been so accommodating to the HSE in the Midwest in supporting the testing requirements at the Gaelic grounds and at Mick Neville Park.
Those being tested will be required to follow public health measures, including social distancing, not travelling by taxi or public transport, practicing good personal hygiene, and wearing a face-covering throughout. It is imperative that a mask is also worn while travelling to and from the testing centre.
The HSE has said that by opening the new testing facility on the old Wickes site is part of its drive to improve accessibility for testing in local communities, and by making it accessible to so many people will hopefully slow down the number of community transmissions as more people get tested and have less of a chance of spreading the virus.
Maria Bridgeman, the HSE Midwest’s community healthcare chief officer has confirmed that the new testing centre is an indoor facility, and she has welcomed the centre during the difficult time and weather at this time of year. She has also urged everyone who has been offered tests to attend them saying,” I want to take this opportunity to urge the public to continue to adhere to all public health guidelines as the HSE continues its response to Covid 19.”
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