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Foreign Minister Simon Coveney has said that mandatory quarantine for those traveling to Ireland would be “much more difficult to do than the benefit it would get.”
But he said the government was considering introducing a mandatory quarantine for those who arrived in Ireland without a valid PCR test.
He said they were also looking into the potential use of higher visa requirements to travel to Ireland from countries reporting new Covid-19 variants.
Minister Coveney spoke on RTÉ’s News at One amid mounting pressure on the government to introduce mandatory quarantine for travelers entering the country.
Earlier, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ronan Glynn told the Oireachtas Health Committee that the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) had previously requested mandatory quarantine for international travelers.
However, he said that NPHET “are not the experts on what is possible” but that travel still represents a very serious risk for disease suppression and should be avoided.
Minister Coveney said there has been “strong compliance” with the PCR test requirement to enter Ireland.
“We do not have the legal right to hold someone at the airport indefinitely,” he said.
He said Ireland “took a much more cautious approach to international travel than most other EU countries in the second wave.”
Minister Coveney said “it would be ideal” for the EU to act in concert on international travel.
“But at the moment we can’t even move together on this island north and south.”
“We would like us and our executive counterparts in Northern Ireland to also do more together in terms of international travel because of course it is still possible to fly, for example, from London to Belfast and drive south across the border. “.
Simon Coveney also said he believes the Taoiseach’s annual visit to the White House for St. Patrick’s Day can go ahead, “while remaining sensitive to public health prospects.”
He said he expects “a very close and detailed interaction” between the Taoiseach and the US president “during that period.”
“We will have to figure out how to safely celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year.”
“We will communicate in the most appropriate way that we can and in the most impactful way that we can, obviously, while being sensitive to the public health prospects in terms of a global pandemic.”
Minister Coveney said it was too early to say whether the current restrictions will be in effect until St. Patrick’s Day.
He said “we cannot ease the restrictions” as long as there are more than 2,000 positive Covid-19 cases per day, and as long as the Irish healthcare system remains under current pressures.
“We will give as much certainty as we can next week Tuesday after the cabinet. We just don’t know how the tensions that are in Ireland will play out right now. We don’t know how successful the current restrictions will be in February, in terms of reducing numbers. .
“What we do know is that as long as we have more than 2,000 people testing positive per day. And as long as our healthcare system is under the pressure it is under at the moment, we cannot ease the restrictions. And I think we should be honest with people on that. “
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Earlier, Dr. Ronan Glynn told the Oireachtas Health Committee that the current regime for incoming passengers will not stop all Covid-19 cases entering this country.
He said NPHET’s advice is that “the discretionary elements of travel should be addressed to the greatest extent possible.”
He said mandatory quarantine could be a solution, but there may be other ways that you are not aware of.
He was responding to Sinn Féin Health spokesperson David Cullinane, who asked if NPHET was in favor of mandatory quarantine for international travelers.
When asked about mandatory quarantine, he said he was in favor of any measure that would help suppress the virus.
“We want steps to be taken to suppress this at the levels we saw last June.”
Dr. Glynn also told the committee that much more progress must be “made and sustained” in the coming weeks to control the coronavirus.
He said that although the number of cases is shrinking, hospitals will remain under intense pressure for some time.
He said NPHET is monitoring three variants of the virus, first detected in the UK, South Africa and Brazil, and cautioned that some mutations may provide the virus with an opportunity to spread more easily or evade the immune response.
Dr. Glynn said that the public has made significant progress in reducing transmission.
He told the committee that the average number of close contacts per case has dropped from nearly five at the end of December to 2.1 today.
He also said that the proportion of people who say they will definitely or likely take the vaccine when it is offered has risen from 76% to 85% in recent weeks.
Dr Glynn also said it’s no wonder the number of cases remains high despite more than three weeks of full Level 5 restrictions, given the spike in transmission over the Christmas period.
He said that there was no doubt that increased levels of socialization, the opening of society, the mixing of generations and the introduction of a new variant in December contributed to the increase in the number of cases.
In response to Senator Martin Conway, who asked if schools could reopen before St. Patrick’s Day, Dr. Glynn said that “generally speaking, we have a long way to go.”
He said that given the pressure hospitals are under, it is difficult to look too far ahead.
Dr Glynn said that the return to school for children with additional needs would not have a significant impact on the level of community transmission that Ireland is experiencing at the moment.
Dr. Glynn warned against exposure to people who spread false information about Covid-19 vaccines and to people who claim that the disease does not exist.
In response to independent senator Frances Black, he said: “We must not provide a platform for those seeking to promote misinformation about vaccines.”
He added: “Now 85% of people in the country say they will get the vaccine when it is offered.”
He said “That doesn’t mean they have no concerns. Our job is to address those concerns.”
Dr. Glynn said it was important for the vaccine to work, it had to work all over the world; otherwise, there was a danger of new variants appearing.
He also responded to concerns raised by Fine Gael TD Bernard Allen, who said that all public representatives were receiving emails from people claiming that the disease did not exist.
Dr. Glynn said, “Anyone who denies its existence … there should be no place for them at this stage given the impact it is having on families across the country.”
Additional information Tommy Meskill
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