Cork Airport has facilitated Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and the Port of Cork with the adaptation of the RocDoc COVID-19 testing facility at the airport to cater for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) of drivers requiring antigen tests intending to travel to Continental Europe.

Drivers must make sure that they obtain a test within 72 hours prior to embarking on a ferry bound for France and drivers must pre-book their test in advance and ensure that they arrive at the RocDoc testing site on time. No HGVs should come to the airport without a pre-booked appointment. Prior to Saturday, only drivers in a car could be accommodated.

Bookings must be made with RocDoc on their website rocdochealthcheck.ie.

Conor Mowlds, Chief Commercial Officer at the Port of Cork added: “We welcome the decision by the Department of Transport to utilise the dedicated COVID-19 (antigen) testing sites at Cork Airport for any HGV drivers intending to travel from the Port of Cork to French Ports. This comes on the back of the announcement by Brittany Ferries earlier this week, to operate a twice weekly freight only service from Cork to Roscoff. We are delighted to work with Cork Airport on this initiative.”

Brittany Ferries will launch a new sailing between the Port of Cork and Roscoff in northern France as traders seek more capacity on direct routes to Continental Europe to avoid the UK’s land bridge post BREXIT.

The new freight-only sailings will see three new departures a week out of Ireland with a ferry leaving Cork for Roscoff on a Tuesday, returning to Rosslare on a Thursday before departing that night for St Malo and returning to Cork before departing for Roscoff again on a Saturday.

Since January 28, France requires that any Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) driver or Light Goods Vehicle (LGV) driver or Coach driver must present proof of a negative COVID-19 antigen or PCR test result) before the driver will be allowed to embark on a ferry from Ireland bound for France. The French authorities have said that the requirement will remain in place for at least the next month.

The test (whether PCR or antigen) must have been obtained less than 72 hours prior to embarking on a journey to France. Proof of the negative test result must be shown to the shipping company in Ireland before boarding and to French authorities upon disembarkation in France.

In addition, the driver is required to have completed a “declaration of honour” confirming that he/she has no COVID-19 symptoms and that he/she has not been a close contact of a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the previous 14 days. Proof of this declaration must also be shown to the ferry company before departure.