Over 1,300 people who were a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19 did not show up for their test.
The HSE contacts people who have come into close contact with a confirmed case and arranges a time for them to get tested.
It's been suggested at the Covid-19 Response Committee this afternoon that tests should be made mandatory for close contacts.
Dr Lorraine Doherty of the Health Protection Surveillance Centre says every effort is made to get a close contact tested:
"Within the contact tracing centres, that's where the initial contact is made. There are at least four or five attempts made to contact contacts there."
"Where there is an inability to contact the contact their details are passed to the local public health department who may have local knowledge as to how they might find these contacts."
"So we do put a lot of time and effort in to trying to find them."
*Reporting by Kacey O'Riordan
