The Health Service Executive in the Republic of Ireland have redeployed staff to help with the passport application backlog as travellers rush to get away once again.
Covid contact-tracing teams have been relocated to the Passport Office to help keep up with the demand, ultimately closing the remaining covid testing centres in the South.
Demand for passport renewals and applications sky rocked after both the Republic of Ireland and the UK lifted all covid travel restrictions back in March 2022, with many travellers discovering their passports were now out of date after going unused over the past two years. The demand has proved challenging for the passport office with such a high demand coming through.
Contact-tracing teams in both Dublin and Cork will remain in their positions for the forseeable future, with those in Limerick being relocated to the foreign Affairs Passport Office as summer travel gets underway.
