Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

I will be voting against the extension of mandatory hotel quarantine. I share the opposition of Deputy Paul Murphy to the privatised model of mandatory hotel quarantine that the Government has introduced. I also share his opposition to this quarantine system which has no human rights oversight, certainly none worth talking about. Even if these issues were to be addressed, I would still oppose the extension as I opposed the introduction of the regime earlier in the year.

Mandatory hotel quarantine is a form of detention without trial. It disproportionately hits migrant communities with family abroad who have been cut off from accessing their close family members, including, in some cases, their children, and who are unable to travel for family emergencies such as funerals. It also disproportionately impacts lower paid workers, those with care needs, disabilities and children, and others. The disproportionality of the measure is shown by the fact that the rate of positive infection for those tested in quarantine, at 3%, is generally in line with the rate in the national test centres, and is quite a bit lower than in some of them.

There are alternatives available. We should have free testing for all at ports and airports, a better resourced contact and tracing regime and for those who need to quarantine at home, we need public health check-up teams to organise a follow-up. As well as this, we need caution in relation to indoor activity and pressure to prematurely reopen indoor bar and restaurants needs to be resisted.

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