Peadar Tóibín
Question:673. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of Covid-19 tests carried out in airports in the state for each month since the start of the pandemic. [23630/21]
View answerTuesday, 11 May 2021
Questions (673)
Written answers
I am presuming that the Deputy is referring to tests carried out in airports for travel related purposes. The HSE does not provide testing for Covid-19 at airports although the HSE recently opened a temporary ‘walk-in’ testing centre at Galway Airport as part of the HSE’s enhanced testing for local communities.
All passengers arriving in Ireland must:
- complete a COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form
- provide evidence that you have a negative or ‘not detected’ result from a COVID-19 Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test carried out no more than 72 hours before you arrive into Ireland, or have evidence that you are exempt from this legal requirement
Passengers travelling from or via a designated state must also pre-book and pre-pay for a place in a designated facility for mandatory hotel quarantine.
In addition, as of Tuesday April 27th, all incoming passengers to Ireland from a non-designated State will receive communication via SMS to advise them of the option to avail of a free Covid-19 PCR test at least 5 days after their arrival. Those wishing to avail can contact any GP to book a free Covid-19 PCR test through the HSE, or they can attend one of the HSE’s free ‘walk-in test centres. A subsequent ‘not-detected’ result allows the person to exit self-quarantine early.