Two Covid test centres for Europort traffic

THE Department of Transport, alongside Wexford County Council and the management of Rosslare Europort, is working to establish two Covid test centres for truck drivers, which give test results within an hour, thereby allowing them to travel on from Rosslare to France. It is understood that the test centres will not be based in the Europort, however, rather one being located on the M11 and the other on the N25.

In recent days, it has emerged that the French government is expected to introduce a mandatory requirement of a clear Covid test on all hauliers carrying goods on direct ferry routes from Ireland.

With such a massive increase in the number of trucks accessing France via Rosslare Europort, in a bid to keep them fully operational the Department of Transport is preparing a contingency plan to carry out rapid turnaround Covid-19 tests on all drivers leaving the country on ferries.

The test required by hauliers is expected to be a rapid antigen test, rather than the longer PCR test normally used to detect the virus, and it is anticipated that these facilities will be required for at least three months.

The new test centres will not, it seems, be located in Rosslare Harbour itself, but on sites on the approach to the port. It is reported that one test centre could be set up at the Gorey Service Station off the M11, while another for traffic coming from the Cork direction will be established along the N25 between New Ross and Wexford, possibly on the site of the closed landfill site at Holmestown.

Chairman of Wexford County Council Ger Carthy said that he had pushed for the test centres to be located away from Rosslare to avoid any further buildups of congestion in the village.

‘I think this is an example of the Local Authority stepping up to the mark in this time of crisis and being proactive,’ he said.

‘Test results should be returned to drivers within an hour and what we’ll probably see is a red/green system to proceed and enter the ports.’

Cllr Carthy says he is due to meet with Chief Executive of Wexford County Council Tom Enright, Europort General Manager Glenn Carr, Roads Director Eamonn Hore and Barry Kenny of Iarnród Éireann later this week to look at how best to deal with the vastly increased volumes of traffic headed for Rosslare and how to avoid congestion in the village.