Dr. Tony Holohan:

The Senator is right. It is not just the intrinsic risks around travel. In many ways, the travel experience on a plane can be a controlled environment. In such an environment, one can manage the risks. We have seen this in schools where we have managed to put control systems in place very well. These have helped in terms of transmission and allowed us to turn on and maintain an important public service around schools. As the Senator rightly says, the issue is the movement of people. People come into contact with each other and the greater the extent of mixing among populations, the greater are the conditions for transmission of the virus. Unfortunately, the very purpose of international travel is to facilitate the free movement and mixing of people, which is wonderful except it facilitates the spread of this particular disease.

There is no doubt that in the course of the summer, international travel played a significant role in the re-importation and re-seeding of this infection in this country.

There is also an issue in this country around travel. In Europe, they look at travel, including international travel. They do not just focus on air travel. There is sea travel in this country because we are an island. In many other European countries they look at road, rail, train and air but it is a relatively small proportion whereas we have an enormous dependency on it in this country. It is true to say, as Mr. Morris has said, that the arrangements that exist in this country would not be as stringent as those that exist at border level in many other European countries.