In the table below, the Deputy can see the number of persons quarantined on arrival since January, 2021, to date. As requested, this is broken down by month. Similarly, the table sets out the numbers of persons that have quarantined beyond 14 days. The average length of stay for those staying beyond 14 days is 21 days.
New arrivals since Jan 2021
|
Month of Admission: 2021
|
No. of Admissions
|
No. of Participants Quarantined beyond 14 Days
|
|
January
|
199
|
91
|
|
February
|
115
|
47
|
|
March
|
181
|
47
|
|
April
|
146
|
58
|
|
May
|
211
|
85
|
|
June
|
277
|
80
|
|
July
|
340
|
91
|
|
August
|
517
|
187
|
|
September
|
639
|
198
|
|
October
|
265
|
0
|
|
Grand Total
|
2890
|
884
|
While mandatory quarantine arrangements have now been stepped down to a large degree, the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS), in consultation with the HSE and Public Health, continues to retain a number of quarantine facilities in the Dublin region. This is a precautionary measure to mitigate against the risk of COVID, and any new variants, entering the National Reception Centre in Balseskin and the wider IPAS accommodation network. In agreement with the HSE and Public Health authorities at the beginning of October, the length of quarantine required for new arrivals to be cleared for transfer to Balseskin has been reduced from 14 days to 5 days, subject to two negative PCR tests on Days 1 and 5 respectively.
Due to capacity issues arising from higher than predicted numbers of new arrivals some residents may still experience delays in their transfer to Balseskin but IPAS officials assure me they are actively working through these issues with the various stakeholders involved.
The services provided by IPAS are of course demand-led and, as demand is currently running higher than predicted, these arrangements are being kept under daily review by my officials to ensure that there is sufficient accommodation to house new arrivals in the State seeking international protection.
