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THE GOVERNMENT AND the National Public Health Emergencies Team (NPHET) will clash next week over international travel advice and the new European traffic light system.
Medical Director Tony Holohan will discuss tips for air travel and Covid-19 testing at airports before the Oireachtas Transportation Committee on Tuesday.
HIQA’s recently released report on rapid tests will form a key part of the committee’s discussions with Holohan next week.
On Thursday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin confirmed TheJournal.ie that it is still the government’s intention that the traffic light system be operational in Ireland on Sunday 8th November.
While he said it is “too early to say what kind of Christmas” the country will have, he said the government will give travel advice for Christmas in late November.
“If we can get the numbers really low, then we can manage the next few months. The only message now is that we want Level 5 to work, ”he said.
Ireland has agreed to align with the EU plan
The Taoiseach said the Cabinet agreed to align Ireland with the EU traffic light system.
Under the plan, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control will publish a weekly map of the EU using a three-stage color system to indicate the level of risk in each area.
Levels will be determined by a variety of epidemiological factors, including the 14-day incidence per 100,000 population and the level of positive testing.
Ministers, including Transport Minister Eamon Ryan, have said that the new traffic light system should allow family and friends to return to Ireland by Christmas this year.
However, when asked this week about international travel, Holohan said TheJournal.ie which is NPHET’s position that the risks associated with it are “very, very high.”
While he said he was aware of the decision made in relation to subscribing to the EU traffic light system, he said that NPHET would be concerned about anything that “weakens” the defenses in place in Ireland.
While the current requirement that a person restrict their movements for 14 days after arrival from a ‘red’ region remains until further notice, the Government anticipates that, as soon as possible, this requirement can be waived on a result negative from an approved Covid-19 test performed five days after arrival.
November 8 goal
If the traffic light system is in operation before midnight on 8 In November, the requirement that arrivals from orange locations restrict their movements can be waived if they have a negative test result up to three days prior to arrival.
This test must be performed by a recognized authorized entity within that member state. The Taoiseach said this week that work is underway to validate rapid test technologies for use in Ireland.
With the plan going into effect next week, there is concern at the government level that NPHET may still begin to increase its bookings on international travel in the run-up to Christmas.
A government source said the deal “is done.”
In relation to the disagreements that may arise, it was highlighted that NPHET has recommended that no one leave their country or more than 5km from their home, so it is inevitable that public experts will not advocate for the new system.
Clash with NPHET
Another source said they anticipate a clash over travel issues. This is not the first time the government and NPHET have disagreed on the travel issue. Early in the pandemic, Holohan recommended that all arrivals to the country be quarantined for 14 days in separate isolation facilities once off the plane, something the government ruled out from the start.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said mandatory quarantine “was not feasible” in Ireland. He said the country did not have a sufficient number of hotels or security personnel to make the quarantine legally mandatory.
The issue of mandatory quarantine was a hot spot at the last cabinet table, with several ministers saying it would be a “step too far” for Ireland to go down that path.
The Irish Civil Liberties Council also expressed serious concerns about the implementation of legislation that it was concerned could hamper people’s human rights.
Ministers have recognized that throughout the pandemic, Ireland has had one of the strictest approaches to international travel.
A government source said it is “really important” that people are able to go home to visit loved ones this Christmas, especially if the country is at the other end of a second wave. They added that it would be a mistake to stop this.
Some in government circles believe that NPHET could raise concerns about the categories of travelers that are exempt from the requirement to undergo quarantine measures under the new EU travel plan, saying the new regime could be too “liberal” for some. .
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It is also argued in government that despite travel restrictions in the Republic, they are “useless” if Northern Ireland and the UK are open to the world.
EU pressure to harmonize policy
While travel was a topic of discussion early in the pandemic, there is now more pressure on the Taoiseach to align itself with its EU counterparts. This week, the Taoiseach participated in a virtual call with other EU leaders on the topic of travel and testing.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after the call that leaders agreed that rapid EU-level validation of the new tests should be achieved, saying this mainly refers to rapid tests of antigens that are currently being developed.
“We have the PCR test and we have the new rapid antigen tests. We will work on validation at the EU level, because this will allow us to describe the optimal settings for the different forms of testing and will allow us a mutual recognition of test results across the European Union ”.
He also said that a passenger locator form would be implemented across the EU this month.
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