Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Testing time for Dublin Airport
A COVID-19 testing facility that can give passengers and members of the public results within hours was opened at Dublin Airport yesterday.
The drive-through service, which is operated by Irish healthcare company Rocdoc, allows passengers to get tested prior to their flights and is in line with the EU’S Traffic Light system.
Members of the public and businesses who are not travelling can also avail of the service.
It follows the opening of drive-through testing facilities at Cork and Shannon airports.
It is hoped that the service will prevent the spread of Covid while helping the economy to reopen – and loved ones to see each other during the holiday season.
It’s expected that 300 to 500 tests will be taken at the Dublin facility each day, although Rocdoc are building up capacity to do up to 1,200 tests daily. Individuals can avail of three types of tests, including PCR, Lamp and antibody checks. Prices for this service start at €129 per test.
Results using the Lamp method are available within just a few hours, while results from the PCR test – most commonly used by the HSE – are available in 48 to 72 hours.
Passengers who wish to take a test can book one online. They then arrive at the facility, which is in the Express Green Long Term Car Park beside Dublin Airport, to check in.
Once checked in, they can drive to a second tent, where their swab tests are taken.
Swabs from Lamp tests are then taken to a mobile laboratory onsite, while the PCR test swabs are sent to an off-site laboratory.
David Rock, Chief Executive of Rocdoc, said: “We want to keep it [Covid] under control and we feel testing is the best way to do that.”