I raised this issue with the Taoiseach on Tuesday. Louth has had the third highest case numbers of Covid-19 and, four times in the past week, Louth has had the second highest number of cases recorded. The acting Chief Medical Officer, CMO, said earlier this week that Louth is showing a particularly concerning trend. This morning, first, second and third year students from a school in Drogheda were told to stay home. One positive case involving a teacher has resulted in up to 30 other teachers getting close contact notifications from the HSE app, meaning that they have to self-isolate for the next two weeks.

In the meantime, Drogheda is still without a Covid testing centre, yet members of the Government come in here day after day and say they are ramping up testing. We need a commitment from the Government that Drogheda, the largest town in Ireland, will get its Covid testing centre. I expect the Tánaiste to pick up the phone today and contact the HSE given that the number of cases is rising in Louth, including Drogheda. He should please not say it is a matter for the HSE. He is supposed to be a member of a Government in charge. I would like a commitment over the next few days on when Drogheda, which is the largest town and whose number of cases is rising, will get its Covid testing centre, and where it will be. Please, no more bullshit. I do not want to have to come in next week and raise this issue again. The Tánaiste says testing is being ramped up. He should prove it and provide a Covid testing centre in Drogheda, where the number of cases is rising daily.

Unfortunately, case numbers are rising daily in most parts of the country, and Louth is one of the counties of concern. It is important that we never read too much into any one day's numbers. We tend to look at seven-day and 14-day averages for very good reasons.

It is the second time it is over the seven-day average.

With regard to the specific question on Drogheda, I will see the chief executive officer of the HSE tomorrow at the Cabinet Covid sub-committee meeting and I will specifically raise the issue of Drogheda with him, precisely because, as Deputies O'Dowd and Munster have pointed out to me, it is a very large town in a county with a rising incidence. Therefore, having a test centre there would be a good idea. I undertake to raise that with the CEO of the HSE tomorrow.