Quarantine and traveller testing
Darren O'Rourke questioned weaknesses in quarantine and self-isolation rules for international travellers and asked whether mandatory measures were planned. The Taoiseach said PCR testing requirements were being followed and that stronger quarantine options remained under review, though cross-border access via Northern Ireland was a concern.
I raise the issue of our quarantine and self-isolation regime as it applies to international travellers. This issue has come up time and again. We heard further reports at the weekend about the lack of follow-up on passenger locator forms, the information given when people were followed up on and the quality of the information coming back. It strikes me as a huge loophole and a gap in our ability to be confident that defences against Covid-19 are in place. Are there plans on behalf of the Government to address this issue? Do those plans include a mandatory regime and putting such a regime on a statutory footing? Is the Government actively considering the possibility of quarantine hotels?
Comment on this
The recent decision of the Government on the obligation and requirement for a negative PCR test before one comes into the country has been strongly adhered to. There are very high levels of adherence to that measure. Further measures around quarantine are constantly being examined and there are significant implementation issues around them. To be frank, we have an issue with people accessing the Republic through flights into Northern Ireland, and that remains a concern.