Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the opportunity to speak to the amendments. I will begin with an obvious observation. People have reached the pinnacle of their patience and are getting angry with the Government's messaging. When they witness people heading off on holiday, like the incident last week when a convoy of camper vans headed off from Rosslare Europort, while the majority of people are restricted from travelling more than 5 km from their front door, it is no wonder they are calling for mandatory hotel quarantine for all non-essential international travel, as the Sinn Féin amendment proposes.

People have given up their lifestyles and personal ways of existing to suppress this virus. In return, they expect the Government to do what is required at this time, namely, introduce full mandatory quarantine. We have compelled people to stay at home for months; likewise, the Government needs to put in place compelling measures to deal with people who are still travelling during a pandemic. Sinn Féin has put forward amendments that will require all non-essential arrivals to have a PCR test post arrival, improve data-sharing between North and South and ensure the Dáil has a say in the development of new regulations. I commend my colleagues on their work in strengthening the Bill.

We have witnessed many times the leaking of communications from Government sources to mainstream media, which is causing confusion, mental anguish and anger among workers and professionals. It should not and cannot be this way when it comes to the measures included in the Bill. I urge the Minister for Health to consider the prime example of New Zealand's mandatory quarantine website. It has crystal-clear, easily accessible information covering everything from what mandatory quarantine looks like to all the information partners needed to spread the message about the measures. It is not difficult to imagine the positive effect that this website has on anxieties, on reducing the number of mistakes and on increasing compliance through clear communication. It is worlds apart from the Travelling to Ireland page on the Irish Government's website. Communications require policy and investment. We are in agreement on the seriousness of mandatory quarantine measures and the management of the communication of such measures must be treated as such. We do not have to reinvent the wheel. If other countries are able to do this, so should we.

Like every Deputy in this House who has seen his or her constituents put so much effort into protecting their communities each day, surely this amendment, which seeks to shield and protect us from new variants arriving to our shores through international travel, must be supported.

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