LÉ William Butler Yeats to become a coronavirus test centre in Galway
By Sharon Dolan D’Arcy
The LÉ William Butler Yeats has docked in Galway port in advance of the vessel being used as a testing centre for the coronavirus.
The HSE has enlisted the help of the Naval Service in setting up a test centre in Galway. This is to cater for the growing number of people expected to present with coronavirus symptoms in the near future.
The Naval Service is providing The LÉ William Butler Yeats to be used as a test centre for Galway operating from the docks.
The Irish Times has reported that naval craft was at sea off the west coast when contact was made by the HSE inquiring about the possibility of using naval service ships as test centres.
This follows the release of new county-by-county data on 18 March that showed Galway with 12 confirmed cases of the virus.
The Connacht Tribune has reported that naval personnel will be trained by HSE staff to carry out testing in the coming days. This is in addition to the other numerous testing facilities in the city.
It is hoped that The LÉ William Butler Yeats will add to the number of testing sites across the country. Similar naval vessels in Cork and Dublin are also being prepared to perform testing.
