Dr. Tony Holohan:

I might first reflect on the circumstances, as I did earlier, of other countries with which we have travel relationships. Many countries are experiencing significant resurgences of the disease and have arrangements for their own populations. They are, effectively, discouraging people from all forms of travel within their countries and between countries. As we move, hopefully, to make progress in this country, let us hope the rest of Europe will move in the same way and that we can move back to a direction - like in early spring and into summer - where many countries are getting control of the disease at levels that they simply do not have at the moment.

Getting control, as a collection of countries, is the best means of ensuring that travel and any other form of activity within those countries will be as safe as possible. Everything we do in respect of this disease is a function of how safe it is in the context of its uncontrolled transmission, which is what is happening in Europe. Europe has uncontrolled transmission of the disease in place at the moment, disrupting every form of social and economic activity within the countries. The only means for us a community to restore and protect many of those functions and services, as well as the people living in those countries, is to intervene and stop this high level of community transmission. Our evidence suggests we are making progress on this, whereas many other European countries are not yet in the position to be able to report that.