Two Covid-19 testing facilities in the south-west of the country have opened today.
The testing centres at Cork and Shannon airport began operating this morning, becoming the first two such centres in the country.
The centres will be able to conduct up to 75 test per hour, with the ability for the capacity to be increased as needed.
The facilities are complete with onsite labs which can process up to 1,500 tests a day.
People being tested at both locations will not have to leave their cars, with the check-in and swabbing process done while the person remains in their vehicle.
Kevin Cullinane from Cork Airport thinks the facilities will help the aviation sector recover.
"I think today is the start of a very slow recovery. We know it's going to take three, possibly four years to get traffic numbers back to the lofty heights that they were in 2019.
“Coming into this year, Cork Airport was the fastest growing airport in the State but today is a very key milestone in that recovery process.”
On Monday, the EU’s traffic light system for international travel came in effect.
Now, each European region is given a colour based on their Covid-19 figures, including their 14-day incidence rates and test positivity rates.
Travellers coming from green regions will not be required to isolate in countries signed-up to the system, while those coming from orange regions will need to provide a negative Covid test result no more than three days old to avoid having to self-isolate.
