THE vaccination centre at the Radisson Blu Hotel will relocate to Limerick Racecourse in the coming weeks, UL Hospital Group has confirmed.
This will affect a sizable number of people in the east and south east of county Clare in line for the vaccine in the coming weeks.
With the opening up of hospitality services and the scaling up of the vaccination programme, plans are now being put in place to open a new vaccination centre at Limerick Racecourse on a phased basis during June.
Having reviewed the anticipated vaccine supply availability for the coming months and the infrastructural requirements needed, the Limerick Racecourse facility has been identified as having the capability to provide that capacity. The relocation of the vaccination centre from the Radission Blu Hotel to Limerick Racecourse coincides with the resumption of hospitality services in line with the Government’s reopening plan. From an overall Mid-West perspective, the vaccination centres at Treacy’s West County Hotel, Ennis, and the Abbey Court Hotel, Nenagh, which are smaller centres, are intended to continue in operation and at an increased level over the coming months, notwithstanding the reopening of these hotels.
We are currently working at developing a dedicated vaccination centre bus service between Limerick City and the Radisson centre, supported by the National Transport Agency and operated by Bus Éireann. It is anticipated this bus service will be up and running in the coming weeks, and will then transfer to the new centre at Limerick Racecourse.
We continue to work with our intra-agency partners, including gardaí and local authorities, on traffic management plans for all centres.
The move to Limerick Racecourse will allow an increase in booth capacity of potentially up to 44 vaccination booths in comparison to the 32 booths currently available at the Radisson Blu Hotel.
It is expected that the new centre at Limerick Racecourse will open in mid-June and that the two centres will operate simultaneously initially, to ensure a seamless transition of the service.
Colette Cowan, CEO, UL Hospitals Group, and Chair of the Mid-West Covid-19 Vaccination Steering Committee said: “We want to express our sincere thanks to the management and staff at the Radisson Blu Hotel for facilitating the rollout of our vaccination programme in the Mid-West. Our vaccination teams have to date delivered approximately 60,000 vaccines, of which seven in 10 have taken place in our three vaccination centres.
“Our staff have reported what a privilege it has been to work in these centres as the vaccinations have been given, first to those most at risk from Covid-19, and now, working down through the age groups in line with the government plan. It is a positive sign that the hospitality sector is gradually getting back on its feet. Vaccination remains one of the most important tools at our disposal for protecting the population from Covid-19 and in allowing us to reopen society and the economy. The new centre at Limerick Racecourse will allow us to increase our overall capacity and preparatory work is already underway to make this relocation as seamless as possible.”
Joe Hoare, Assistant National Director, HSE Estates, said: “The vaccination centre set-up at the Radisson Blu Hotel was particularly suited to the early groups in the vaccination sequence, with close parking and set-down areas for accessibility, and we are very grateful for the hotel management and staff’s support and assistance. The Limerick Racecourse will be able to cater for the large numbers of the general public anticipated daily over the coming months. The internal set-up and space available will be able to cater for the vaccination on site of up to 3,500 people per day. The road access and extensive parking available will also support the significant car movements that could arise with such a scale of operation.”
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.