The programme will cover all residents and staff in both permanent and temporary accommodation and will roll out across centres from September 12th.
The testing programme follows numerous outbreaks of Covid-19 within Direct Provision centres over the course of the pandemic.
In a statement, the HSE and Department of Justice and Equality said: “The comprehensive testing programme is an additional public health measure recommended by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) to safeguard residents and staff in Direct Provision Centres.
“It will help us to identify and isolate cases quickly and to assess the effectiveness of the public health measures put in place at Direct Provision Centres since March 2020. This will also help us to decide if extra supports are needed.”
International Protection
Testing will be voluntary and free, while the HSE and Department has said that neither refusal to participate nor a positive result will affect a person’s status or application for international protection in any way.
Each resident and staff member will be offered a test, though children aged under five years and people who have previously tested positive for Covid-19 will not be tested.
“We strongly encourage all residents and staff to participate to keep themselves, their families and their communities safe from coronavirus,” the statement said.
“Congregated settings, like accommodation centres, pose additional challenges during the pandemic to prevent and control the spread of the virus.”
The HSE and Department have said that existing protections against the spread of Covid-19 will also continue in accommodation centres, including the policy of transferring all positive cases and their close contacts offsite for self-isolation.
