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Irish MEPs have written to the government calling for a relaxation of the Covid-19 rules governing their return to Ireland from Belgium or France.
In a joint letter, MEPs from Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party call for the 14-day quarantine requirement to be lifted for MEPs who receive a negative coronavirus test before leaving Brussels.
The request follows the dramatic resignation last week of Phil Hogan, Ireland’s EU commissioner, after it was discovered that he had failed to comply with an obligation to restrict his movements when arriving from a country that was not on the Green List. .
The letter, which has been published by various media outlets, was sent by the leaders of the three party groups within the European Parliament to Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar.
MEPs argue that the 14-day quarantine restricts their ability to carry out their duties when moving between Ireland, Brussels and Strasbourg, the seat of the European Parliament.
“This week, the European Parliament met again after the summer holidays and will meet weekly, either in Strasbourg or Brussels, until Christmas.
“To fully fulfill our duties, we have to attend in person,” reads the letter from Billy Kelleher (Fianna Fáil MEP for Southern Ireland), Seán Kelly (Fine Gael MEP for Southern Ireland) and Ciarán Cuffe (MEP for the Green Party by Dublin). ).
“Under current guidelines, each of us must be quarantined for two weeks upon our return to Ireland. This significantly restricts our activities when we are at home.
“We understand that guideline[s] for essential workers, and we hope that the needs of those in similar circumstances, whether they are long-distance heavy vehicle drivers or government ministers, can be accommodated.
“We believe that testing for Covid-19 before and after the trip would reduce the potential risk of infection and transmission of the virus and allow Irish MEPs to fully carry out their work,” the MEPs wrote.
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