Written answers

Wednesday, 28 April 2021

Department of Health

Pharmaceutical Sector

Photo of David CullinaneDavid Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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878. To ask the Minister for Health if he will advise on a matter raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21246/21]

Photo of Stephen DonnellyStephen 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.

Persons undergoing mandatory hotel quarantine must do so in a designated facility. Quarantine in other facilities or locations is not permitted unless outlined in the provisions of the Health Act, such as where a person completes their quarantine in a medical facility while undergoing treatment.

The Act identifies those who are exempt from mandatory hotel quarantine and a full list of exemptions can be accessed on gov.ie/quarantine.

The provisions of the Act also allows for travellers to request a review of decisions relating to their quarantine; however this can only be undertaken once quarantine has begun and for limited reasons set out in the legislation. The State Liaison Officer (Irish Defence Forces) in the hotel provides passengers with information on how to apply.

Quarantine of persons arriving from areas with a high incidence of variants of concern is considered a deterrent against the emergence of such variants in the state and as such all persons arriving from a designated state are required to undergo mandatory hotel quarantine unless otherwise exempt.

The Expert Advisory Group on Travel continues to keep the list of designated states under review on an ongoing basis. The Chief Medical Officer considers EAGT recommendations and in turn makes recommendations when considering the designation of individual states.

The Government continues to evaluate wider policy on international travel as informed by the epidemiological situation and public health advice, including the possibility of future exemptions, such as for certain categories of essential workers.

Public health will remain a paramount consideration.

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