The Tánaiste has said he hopes legislation on quarantine hotels in Ireland will be published next week. Leo Varadkar was speaking after Britain's Health Secretary said the UK is to introduce tighter border controls next week against new variants of the coronavirus, requiring hotel quarantine for arrivals from high-risk countries. Travellers found to have given false information about being in a "red list" country 10 days before travel could receive up to 10 years in prison.
Mr Varadkar said this potential jail term "was a bit extreme". He added he did not want to see Ireland acting as a back door to another country. The Tánaiste has also said that advice which came from the National Public Health Emergency Team with regards to travel has been "a bit contradictory". Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime said while NPHET have consistently advocated mandatory hotel quarantine, at the same time they said that people who come into the country should just restrict their movements, in most cases. Mr Varadkar also said people who would be subject to mandatory hotel quarantine here would be charged and would need to book ahead. Reacting to Mr Varadkar's criticism of NPHET, the co-leader of the Social Democrats Róisín Shortall said: "The Government has always made it clear they wouldn't entertain proper travel restrictions and sent a clear message to NPHET to that effect. The Tánaiste now seems to be trying to justify the Government's inaction." Comments are closed.
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