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People who have arrived in Ireland from Great Britain as of December 11 will have to eat their Christmas dinner alone in their room, a senior HSE figure has confirmed.
The Government announced yesterday that it had updated its advice for people who have traveled from England, Scotland or Wales to Ireland since 8 December.
The new council asks people to isolate themselves in their room, rather than simply restricting their movements, for 14 days from the date of their arrival in Ireland.
On RTÉ’s Morning Ireland program, HSE Clinical Director Dr. Colm Henry was asked if that meant that people who had arrived since December 11 had to dine in their room.
“Sadly, it means isolation in your room,” he said.
“I appreciate … not only how inconvenient this is, but how painful it is for the people who have waited so long to go home.”
Explaining the concept of self-isolation, he said that meant staying in his room as much as possible, except for essential purposes. Those who have returned should remain in their room to ensure they are not the means of transmitting this much more transmittable version of the virus, he added.
He said positive cases had been identified in people who had arrived from Britain.
It was estimated that more than 30,000 people had arrived from Great Britain. When asked how many had tested positive, Dr. Henry said the numbers were not available to date, but that “enhanced surveillance” was underway.
Referring to the new Covid-19 strain found in southern England recently, he said that perhaps it was inevitable that it would be in Ireland and people should act as if they were already here.
Dr Henry said that self-isolation was no longer a novelty “in our collective national experience”, as many people in Ireland had self-isolation of late.
“It is difficult, it is painful, but we have learned at our expense … that the delay in taking measures to prevent the spread, the transmission of the virus, we will pay if we do.”
The self-isolation requirement includes people who have had a negative test, the HSE said, as these people could still be developing symptoms and pose a potential risk to others.
A test must be arranged through a GP within five days of a person’s arrival in Ireland from Great Britain and those who have already undergone a test privately must complete 14 days of self-isolation, regardless of the results of the private test, said a statement from the HSE. .
Anyone who receives the “virus not detected” result should continue to isolate for a full 14 days, as they could still be developing symptoms and pose a potential risk to others, the HSE said.
If a person develops symptoms after traveling from Great Britain, they should call their GP immediately.
The HSE also advised travelers from Great Britain not to visit a nursing home or long-term residential facility until they had completed their 14 days of self-isolation.
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