An Athlone businessman says the presence of the Delta variant in the greater Athlone area should serve as a warning that the threat from Covid 19 has not gone away.
Health officials are seeking to contain an outbreak following on from house parties and large outdoor gatherings on the west side of Athlone on June 11th.
It's believed at least 14 cases of the virus in the last week are linked to the events and are currently being further tested to confirm if they are linked to the Indian origin variant.
A walk-in testing centre is opening in St Aloysius school on Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week from 10am to 4pm for children and adults who may have contracted the virus.
Councillor Aengus O' Rourke who also owns Midlands Printing on the West side of Athlone says people still need to be careful: