Tallaght Stadium ‘walk in no appointment necessary’ Covid-19 testing centre opens

TALLAGHT Stadium has been confirmed as a ‘new walk in, no appointment necessary’ Covid-19 testing centre, which opens from today, Thursday, March 25.

As part of the HSE’s enhanced Covid-19 testing for local communities, five new ‘walk-in, no appointment necessary’ Covid-19 testing centres will open to actively look for cases of Covid-19.

A ‘new walk in, no appointment necessary’ Covid-19 testing centre will open in Tallaght Stadium

“Around 1 in 5 people have no symptoms of Covid-19 and can spread it without knowing,” said Niamh O’Beirne, HSE National Lead for Test and Trace.

“We would urge people living near a walk-in test centre and who are concerned about Covid-19, to get a free test today.

“Testing people with no symptoms will help us find positive cases earlier and allow these people to take the necessary action to protect others. This will help us break chains of transmission”, said Niamh.

Working with the National Ambulance Service, the HSE aim to carry out 300-500 Covid-19 tests per day at each walk-in centre.

The current Covid-19 testing pathway has the capacity to complete 25,000 PCR tests per day, based on NPHET recommendations.

You can use this free, walk-in COVID-19 testing service if you:

Are aged 16 years and over;

Do not have symptoms of Covid-19 but would like to be tested;

Live within 5k of the walk-in testing centre and

Have not tested positive for Covid-19 in the last six months.

You must bring a photo ID with you and provide a mobile phone number so the HSE can contact you with your results.

The testing centres will be open from 11am to 7pm.

Social distancing measures will apply as people turn up for testing. If the waiting times are too long, people are welcome to come back on another day or time.

If you have symptoms of Covid-19 do not go to the walk-in test centre.

These include a high temperature, a new cough, shortness of breath or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste.

If you have any of these symptoms, self-isolate (stay in your room) and phone a GP (doctor) straight away. Your GP will tell you if you need a free COVID-19 test.