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Covid-19 Pandemic

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 May 2021

Tuesday, 11 May 2021

Questions (802)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Question:

802. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Health if a person (details supplied) is exempt from mandatory hotel quarantine given the medical circumstances. [24157/21]

View answer

Written answers

Mandatory hotel quarantine has been introduced as one element of Ireland’s public health measures to combat the transmission of COVID-19 variants of concern.

The Health Act 1947, as amended, provides that all persons arriving in Ireland from a designated state, or having travelled through a designated state in the previous 14 days, are required to undergo mandatory quarantine in a designated facility unless they are an exempted traveller under the Act.

The Act identifies those who are exempt from mandatory hotel quarantine, and a full list of exemptions can be accessed on gov.ie/quarantine.

Exemptions for medical reasons pertain to a person who travels to the State for an unavoidable, imperative and time sensitive medical reason and that reason is certified by a person who is a registered medical practitioner or a person holding an equivalent qualification outside the State. Applicable travellers must produce all relevant documentation on arrival to qualify for an exemption.

With effect from 8 May, if a person has travelled abroad for unavoidable, imperative and time-sensitive medical reasons they will not be required to undergo mandatory hotel quarantine on their return to Ireland.

As of 17th April, passengers who are 'fully vaccinated' and have the documents to confirm this are no longer required to complete mandatory hotel quarantine on arrival in Ireland. Dependents, including children, will also be exempted from the requirement to complete mandatory hotel quarantine in this instance. Please note that the 4 EMA approved vaccines currently accepted have specific definitions for when a person would be considered 'fully vaccinated'.

The provisions of the Act also allow for travellers to request a review of decisions relating to their quarantine in a designated facility; however, this can only be undertaken once quarantine has begun. Requests for review are submitted to the State Liaison Officer present in each designated facility and are considered by independent appeals officers. Decisions on requests for review are provided within a 24-hour period. The State Liaison Officer (Irish Defence Forces) in the hotel provides passengers with information on how to apply.The safety, wellbeing and comfort of all guests quarantining in a designated facility is a priority of the mandatory quarantine system, along with protecting people living in Ireland from COVID-19 variants of concern.

All guests undergoing mandatory hotel quarantine have access to a 24/7 on-site healthcare team during their stay. Guests requiring any specific, urgent or emergency care which cannot be provided on-site may also be referred to a dedicated medical facility by the on-site healthcare team.

Neither I as Minister for Health nor my Department have any role in decisions relating to whether individual persons must enter mandatory quarantine or whether individual persons are exempted travellers. All such decisions are to be determined in accordance with the provisions of the Act.

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