Activist groups and doctors have called for sexual health services to reopen across the country as Ireland emerges from lockdown. Upon the outbreak of COVID-19, many public sexual health clinics across the country have been closed entirely with few operating at a reduced capacity.

However, despite lockdown and the lack of tests for sexually transmitted infection (STI), diagnoses have only dropped by 25% since last year according to figures from the HSPCC. Infectious disease consultant at the Mater hospital, Dr Jack Lambert, has said the longer sexual health services remain closed, the more STIs are likely to spread.

‘We had HIV and STI testing service up and running at Summerhill Primary Care Centre which has been frozen,’ he told Extra.ie.