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CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER Tony Holohan has said public health experts have yet to consider whether people should travel home from abroad for Christmas.
Speaking at a press conference tonight, Holohan said that if there is a need to consider or advise the government in the coming weeks on the issue, the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) will certainly do so.
He said TheJournal.ie It is NPHET’s position that the risks associated with international travel are “very, very high.”
The Irish government is pushing to have a rapid testing regime in place next month to ensure that friends and family can travel to visit loved ones this Christmas.
Last week, the Cabinet agreed to align Ireland with the EU traffic light system.
Holohan’s comments come after an Oireachtas committee was informed today that a common Covid-19 testing protocol for European member states on international travel should be ready in “weeks.”
Such a move could allow Irish passengers to travel abroad under rigorous testing before flying.
Holohan said he was aware of the decision made last week on the EU traffic light system.
While it said the share of cases associated with international travel is “very small”, NPHET would be concerned about anything that could “weaken” the defenses in place in Ireland.
He said the scale of the virus in both Europe and the United States is “very worrying”, adding that it is a “rapidly deteriorating situation.”
“The movement of populations for whatever reason is seriously challenged right now,” he said.
The medical director acknowledged that the government has decisions to make in terms of what Europe is considering and ordering on the Internet when it comes to international travel.
Holohan said he would “absolutely” and “totally” deny any suggestion that he is being alarmist, stating that the risks related to travel are very substantial.
When asked at an Oireachtas committee last week if NPHET would have to approve any new travel system and testing regimen, Junior Transportation Minister Hildegarde Naughten said:
“This will be a government decision.”
She said that obviously the government will consult the Department of Health and public health officials, but the decision will be made by the government.
Next week, the medical director will discuss advice for air travel and the potential for Covid-19 testing at airports before the Oireachtas Transportation Committee.
Earlier today, the committee was told that the EU Aviation Safety Agency and ECDC are tasked with developing a common testing regime to eliminate the need for quarantine and other restrictions.
European Commission Aviation Director Filip Cornelis told the Oireachtas Transport Committee today that while some airports in Europe are using rapid testing and antigen testing, it is “clear that we need a common approach” in terms of the tests that are used throughout Europe. .
“We need mutual recognition” of the tests that are used in each country, he said, adding that there is no point in implementing a testing regime if other countries “do not recognize the test performed by the person traveling.”
Irish aviation ‘devastated’
In his written opening statement to the committee, the head of corporate affairs for the Irish Aviation Authority, Paul Brandon, said that the pandemic has devastated the aviation industry in Ireland and that air traffic levels have now returned to low. levels seen in the late 1980s.
He said it could be 2024 or 2025 before the industry fully recovers.
Pre-departure tests as part of the new traffic light system should allow for the effective reopening of aviation, he said.
Under the new traffic light 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.
The new traffic light system, which Ireland is scheduled to launch on November 8, should allow family and friends to return to Ireland for Christmas this year.
In terms of allowing anyone who wants to leave the country, the National Virus Reference Laboratory (NVRL) is conducting a validation process for the LAMP tests, it is understood. If approved by the Health Department, the new test could be incorporated into Ireland’s testing regime to reopen international travel.
Currently the only validated test recognized in Ireland is the PCR test. After someone has been cleaned, the PCR test must be sent to a laboratory for analysis. The new LAMP test does not and can give results in about an hour.
The European Commission has advocated harmonizing the easing of restrictions since June, Cornelis said.
Pre-departure tests
As a society, we must live with Covid-19, Brandon told committee members, indicating that effective harmonization of European pre-departure testing should be “implemented as soon as possible.”
He said passengers should know when they make a reservation that their flight will take place and that the rules will not change.
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If someone tests positive, they just don’t travel, he said.
Testing will be an “important piece of the puzzle,” said Brandon, who agreed that a testing system is required across the EU.
He said passengers could be screened the same day they travel or a day or two before. There may be scope to use tests that are lower than the gold standard as you are testing to see if someone is negative rather than positive, he said.
Brandon said the sector needs to see a recovery starting next summer.
Reopening the borders safely with a coordinated testing regime “would be a lifesaver,” Brandon said, but added that the true benefit will only come if all countries implement a recognized testing system.
Cornelis told the committee that ECDC is working with the commission to expand the health and safety guidance around the testing protocol, although he said it would not be mandatory.
Passengers without trust
He said the problem with travel restrictions is that passengers lack confidence due to ever-changing rules. He said the quarantine imposed in some countries defeats the purpose of travel for many.
There is a general perception in the industry that until a vaccine is available, a common testing protocol will be necessary for all EU countries, he added.
The Commission has noted that some states want to impose border restrictions, even though this is not actually an ECDC recommendation, Cornelis said.
The way to get passengers to travel again is through a “harmonized and stable system” of measures, “which should not be quarantine,” he said.
In terms of travel between the EU and the US, the new protocol for testing that will be presented shortly could also be helpful in opening up travel to the US, the committee was told.
While such measures will be rolled out in Europe first, Cornelis said he could see the scope of working with other countries adopting similar protocols. He said the United States would be an “obvious candidate” but said “it is still a little early to take those steps as far as we are concerned.”
The IAA handled 38,172 flights in September 2020, compared to nearly 110,000 in the same month last year, committee members were informed today.
Brandon cautioned that air traffic levels in Ireland are consistently below the rest of the European air traffic network, which he said was “deeply concerning”.
Brandon also said that Ireland should lead in promoting a standard approach to airport departure testing and the removal of quarantine requirements across Europe.
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