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Christmas is back for loved ones abroad who can restrict their movements for five days when they return home.
Dr. Tony Holohan told the Oireachtas transportation committee this morning that a five-day rule is the “most efficient method of containing the importation of the virus.”
This will be a huge boost for anyone planning family Christmas as it makes it so much easier for kids, brothers, sisters, and others to book a flight with peace of mind.
The medical director has given his opinion in an opening statement to TDs at Leinster House before his appearance before Dáil’s committee.
Dr. Holohan believes that: “Our own experts and many of their international counterparts consider that, should asymptomatic passenger testing be introduced, a restricted movement period of 5-7 days, with a symptom check and a test on day five is an effective method to contain the importation of the virus.
“This approach may still miss up to 15% of imported cases. I understand that Finland and Germany are among the countries that have expressed intentions to adopt this measure as part of their travel policies.”
Dr. Holohan is also open to the use of faster ‘Antigen’ tests that could deliver results in minutes, facilitating greater freedom of travel.
His point of view is: “The HSE has recently established a group of experts to review currently available antigen tests and how they could be implemented in clinical and non-clinical settings. “Validation studies with two rapid antigen tests are already underway in Ireland, regarding the potential for use in detecting COVID-19 in selected vulnerable populations.”
However, as it is in its form, the best doctor in the country is also calling for extreme caution in the future.
It says in its statement that transmission rates shot up a quarter when we flew again during the summer.
“Once we get the disease back under control in Ireland, the import risks will need to be managed very carefully.
“In circumstances of sustained low levels of domestic transmission, the relative impact of imported cases is even greater, as seen in Ireland at times during the summer, when travel-related cases accounted for about a quarter of cases.”
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