Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 April 2021
151. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter raised in correspondence (details supplied) regarding mandatory hotel quarantine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20975/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraMandatory 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. All applicable travellers must reserve and pay for a place in mandatory hotel quarantine.
Mandatory hotel quarantine is also necessary in circumstances where passengers coming from non-designated states do not provide evidence that they have a negative or ‘not detected’ result from a COVID-19 Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test carried out no more than 72 hours before arrival into Ireland.
Unaccompanied minors who have travelled from or through a designated state in the 14 days prior to arrival in Ireland will not be permitted to enter a mandatory quarantine facility alone. To board a flight/ferry to Ireland, an unaccompanied minor must produce a negative RT-PCR test within the last 72 hours and their passport.
Their adult guardian can enter mandatory hotel quarantine with them, however, if this is not possible a responsible adult collecting the unaccompanied minor must sign a guardian release letter undertaking in writing the legal responsibility for ensuring that, the unaccompanied minor, will complete the mandatory 14 day quarantine at a specified address and that it is possible to effectively isolate at the said address.
In instances where an unaccompanied minor is arriving in Ireland to attend boarding school, a school representative must present themselves to Irish Immigration authorities with proper identification and on arrival, they will fill in, sign and return the Guardian Release Letter to the Irish immigration official. It is a criminal offence to give misleading or fraudulent information to an Irish immigration official.
Further information including the list of designated states can be accessed on www.gov.ie/quarantine.
The Government continues to advise against all non-essential international travel.
