James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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2205. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding visitors at a hospital (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20123/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware of how difficult the current visitor restrictions are for those in hospitals and their families.

The HSE has advised that visiting arrangements in hospitals have changed to help protect patients and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Information/guidance for visitors to individual public hospitals is regularly updated on the HSE website.

Decisions on visitor restrictions are made, implemented and reviewed at hospital level. Such restrictions are necessary to protect the safety of patients, the wellbeing of staff and the operability of hospital services. However, you can be assured that in the context of what is a rapidly evolving situation, such restrictions are frequently reviewed.

Furthermore, it is essential that people do not visit hospitals if they have symptoms of coronavirus (high temperature, cough, shortness of breath or loss or change to your sense of smell or taste).

Regarding the specific hospital referred to by the Deputy, the Department of Health does not have responsibility for private hospitals and so cannot provide specific information in relation to that hospital.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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2207. To ask the Minister for Health if quarantine measures will apply to essential workers (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20131/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Mandatory hotel quarantine has been introduced as one element of Ireland’s public health measures to combat the transmission of COVID-19 variants of concern.

The Health Act 1947, as amended, provides that all persons arriving in Ireland from a designated state, or having travelled through a designated state in the previous 14 days, are required to undergo mandatory quarantine in a designated facility unless they are an exempted traveller under the Act. All applicable travellers must reserve and pay for a place in mandatory hotel quarantine.

Mandatory hotel quarantine is also necessary in circumstances where passengers coming from non-designated states do not provide evidence that they have a negative or ‘not detected’ result from a COVID-19 Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test carried out no more than 72 hours before arrival into Ireland.

The provisions of the Act allow for travellers to request a review of decisions relating to their quarantine in a designated facility; however, this can only be undertaken once quarantine has begun.

The designation of states is subject to ongoing review in line with the provisions of Section 38B of the Health Act 1947, which was inserted by the Health (Amendment) Act 2021.

As announced on 9 April, passengers arriving in Ireland from France must enter mandatory hotel quarantine starting from 04.00 on Thursday, 15 April.

The Government continues to evaluate wider policy on international travel as informed by the epidemiological situation and public health advice, including the possibility of certain limited categories of essential workers for critical infrastructure. Public health will remain a paramount consideration.

Neither the Minister for Health or the Department of Health have any role in deciding which persons must enter mandatory quarantine or which persons are exempt from entering mandatory quarantine. All such decisions are to be determined in accordance with the provisions of the Act.