Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 June 2020
376. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health if he has reviewed protocols laid down by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency in relaxing restrictions affecting air travel during this phase of the Covid-19 pandemic; if he has consulted with his EU counterparts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10029/20]
View answerI and my Ministerial colleagues engage regularly with our EU counterparts; in my case this is done at the EPSCO (Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs) Council meeting of Health Ministers and through bilateral contacts. Since 15 April there have been five Informal Video Conferences of Health Ministers where a wide range of Covid-19 related issues were discussed. This followed on from two extraordinary EPSCO meetings in Brussels in February and March to discuss the Covid-19 response.
There is also ongoing, close engagement with the Northern Ireland authorities in a variety of forums, at both political and official level, both on a North-South basis and as part of broader engagement with the United Kingdom, including in relation to international travel.
Ireland pays close attention to all guidance from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The guidelines developed by ECDC and the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) are welcome in providing clarity to carriers and passengers about how to minimise the risk of transmission during a flight. However, even with the recommendations of the ECDC/EASA report fully implemented, air travel should not be viewed as risk free. The guidelines do not address the broader risks that increased non-essential international travel will present, including the possible importation of cases.
In the absence of a test that definitively shows that a passenger arriving from overseas neither has nor is incubating the virus, the public health advice for passengers is to self-isolate during the 14 days – the duration of possible incubation - after they arrive into the State from overseas.
