REOPENING: Killarney NCT Centre will reopen to the public on June 22.

By Michelle Crean

It'll be another week and a half before Killarney NCT Centre reopens to the public following its closure due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

June 22 is the scheduled date for the doors to reopen to the public with appointment slots available for customers to book their NCT.

This week National Car Testing Service (NCTS) began a phased reopening of the NCT service across the country with the reopening of 15 centres being done in line with the Government’s Roadmap for reopening Society and Business, and in compliance with the National Return to Work Safely Protocol.

In the short term the roadworthiness testing of vehicles will be on a limited basis and restricted only to those vehicles that had a test due date prior to March 28 before the four-month extension to vehicle certificates of roadworthiness came into effect. This will include vehicle owners who were unable to secure a retest date because of the suspension of the service and those affected by the vehicle lifts issue.

To enable the reopening of centres, the NCTS has put detailed measures in place, in each test centre, to mitigate against the spread of COVID-19 and to protect both customers and staff. These measures include the need to make an appointment, customers are required to prepay their tests when booking online for pre-authorisation purposes, the transaction can be completed using the card in the test centre. No cash will be accepted in the centres. Social distancing controls will be in place including notices posted both internally and externally around the test centre and physical distancing floor markers.

"The safety of the public is paramount, and we continue to be guided by public health officials and relevant national experts. If information or guidance changes, we will reassess and change our procedures and protocols accordingly," Sinéad McKeon from NCTS said.

"Furthermore, all staff have received mandatory training on COVID-19 safety and hygiene protocols covering social distancing requirements, personal hygiene, and the correct use of PPE equipment."

Any customers who qualified for the four month extension to the period of validity of their NCT roadworthiness certificate are encouraged to log onto www.ncts.ie where they can check their new test due date.

Customers should take note of the Government’s travel restrictions before booking a test and are advised to refer to the NCTS website to familiarise themselves on the protocols that are now in place.