Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 March 2021
363. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Transport his views on whether his refusal to introduce a mandatory system of airport testing for the past nine months of the Covid-19 pandemic has directly led to the soar in positive cases and deaths in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1395/21]
View answerIreland's response to the Covid-19 pandemic and international travel is determined by Government taking account of expert public health advice.
A range of mitigating measures have been put in place on aircraft and at the airports with the objective of protecting public health. Specific sectoral protocols for travel by air and sea were developed in consultation with the public health authorities and with industry, who are implementing the measures. These travel protocols incorporate European guidance concerning air travel health safety and set out the expectations and requirements on industry to ensure safety of passengers, staff and crew as regards public health and include key requirements such as health declarations by passengers at check-in; allowing only passengers intending to travel to enter airport terminal buildings; the wearing of face coverings by passengers and staff, increased sanitation measures in relation to aircraft, airports, and where possibly physical distancing . The Protocols for the Safe Management of Passengers (by air and sea) in light of COVID-19 are available on gov.ie.
Air Carriers have made the use of face coverings onboard aircraft mandatory. Airports and Air carriers have in place enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures, promotion of hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette, and limiting contact with surfaces, through announcements and signage and provision of hand sanitisers. Further to this, Air Carriers have reduced in-flight service.
Air Carriers provide for physical distancing of passengers where possible. However, subject to passenger load, configuration and operational considerations, physical distancing will not always be possible on-board aircraft. This is mitigated by, among other measures, the use of High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters which have been installed in all modern commercial jet aircraft and provides a higher level of health safety assurance. Air Carriers have put in place maximised fresh air intake and/or air filtration using HEPA Filters, or air conditioning as appropriate.
Currently, passengers are asked to confirm in advance of their flight that they will not travel if they are symptomatic for Covid-19, have tested positive in the last 14 days; that they are a close contact of a confirmed case of Covid-19, have been advised by doctors to restrict their movements. If the answer to any of these questions is ‘yes’; the passenger is not permitted passage.
It is a mandatory requirement for passengers arriving in Ireland, including if they are travelling onwards to Northern Ireland, to complete a Covid-19 Passenger Locator Form. The form must also be filled out by those who arrive via Northern Ireland and have been overseas in the 14 days prior to arrival in Ireland.
The form must be completed online during the 48 hours prior to arrival and allows incoming passengers to be directly informed on the up to date public health advice and also supports contact tracing in event of a passenger testing positive for Covid-19. An exemption from completing the form is in place for providers of essential supply chain services such as hauliers, pilots and maritime staff.
Since 16 January 2021, all passengers arriving into Ireland (unless exempt) are required to have evidence of a negative or ‘not detected’ result from a pre-departure COVID-19 RT-PCR test that was carried out no more than 72 hours prior to arrival in Ireland. Passengers are asked to present evidence of their negative/not detected result before boarding their airplane and will be denied boarding if they cannot produce such evidence or do not claim to fall into an exempt category.
Since 4 February 2021, a 14-day quarantine period must be undertaken at the address specified on the Passenger Locator Form. Persons who travel from another country to Ireland, and arrive via Northern Ireland, must also observe the mandatory quarantine regime.
Passengers may only leave their place of residence during the quarantine period for unavoidable reasons of an emergency nature to protect a person’s health or welfare, or to leave the State. Passengers may also leave to take a RT-PCR test no less than 5 days after their arrival – if they receive written confirmation that the result of this test is negative/’not detected’ their period of quarantine can end. They must retain the written confirmation of their test result for at least 14 days.
The limited exemptions from the requirement to complete mandatory quarantine are:
- Patients travelling for urgent medical reasons
- international transport workers in possession of an Annex 3 Certificate; Drivers of Heavy Goods Vehicles; Aviation and maritime crew
- Gardaí/defence forces, while carrying out their duties
- travel to the State pursuant to an arrest warrant, extradition proceedings or other mandatory legal obligation
- diplomats, or travel to perform the function of or provide services to an office holder or elected representative
- transit passengers who arrive for the purposes of travelling to another state, and who do not leave the port or airport.
From Friday the 26 March mandatory quarantine at a designated facility will be required for passengers who have been in the designated 'high risk' countries in the 14 days prior to their arrival in Ireland.
