Independent TD for Wexford, Verona Murphy, is supporting the call of Enniscorthy local Independent councillor Jackser Owens for a Covid 19 test centre to be reopened in Enniscorthy to ease the pressure on the testing centre in Wexford. Deputy Murphy is also calling on the government to immediately move to facilitate and reopen walk-in Covid 19 testing.
Deputy Murphy said,
“People in County Wexford are very frustrated at presently being unable to book a Covid 19 test. My office is inundated this morning with constituents sharing their frustrations and grave concerns. People are displaying symptoms of Covid, looking for a test appointment and finding out they will have to wait 48-72 hours for a test slot. That delay, I would think, is contributing hugely to the spread of the virus. People cannot attend their GP practice in most instances without a negative PCR result, we are being told not to present to our Emergency Departments but if you have an elderly relative or young child with a spiking temperature and you cannot see your G.P, what else are you to do but present at your local A&E for treatment.”
“The testing delays are inevitable putting an added pressure on our hospital services. A health care system is suppose to protect the public, not the other way around. The Covid 19 testing system must be of a gold standard and presently it is operating at a bronze level I would say. We need extra centres and walk-in facilities”.
The Independent TD concluded,
“Government must do everything they can right now to contain this virus, Test centres must reopen to walk-in testing. The fundamentals of test, trace and isolate is the most efficient way to break transmission and that system must be to the fore in the battle against Covid 19. Walk-in Covid testing should be reopened immediately to ensure we do not revert to any sort of a lockdown to control the virus”.