Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The percentage of our population that has been tested is currently the sixth highest in the European Union. I have lost my document about that but we are currently very high up in the context of number of people here who have been tested. We are ramping up and significantly expanding our testing this week, next week and the week after, which I think will see many more people tested. We decide who is tested based on what is called the case definition, which is the view given to us by the National Public Health Emergency Team as what the priority groups should be. It is generally done on the basis of vulnerability, a person's connection with front-line work, whether he or she is working in a nursing home or the like, and an individual's symptoms. A particular area could be viewed as a hotspot today, whereas a different area could be identified as the hotspot tomorrow. That is generally the guidance. The Government will be guided by the National Public Health Emergency Team.

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