More from the Irish Times
Government officials were last night said to be “urgently” working on the legal and operational arrangements for mandatory quarantining for some passengers travelling from abroad.
Under the plans there will be mandatory quarantining at a designated facility for passengers who cannot provide a negative pre-departure Covid-19 test as well as all those travelling from Brazil and South Africa due to new variants of the virus there.
Other passengers will be required by law to quarantine at home. It is hoped the measures will be in place early next month.
The Department of Health has been tasked with most of the work. It is liaising with the departments of justice, transport and foreign affairs. The Attorney General is advising on any potential legal issues that arise. Applying mandatory quarantine measures to EU or UK citizens requires changes to primary legislation.
Under the plans there will be mandatory quarantining at a designated facility for passengers who cannot provide a negative pre-departure Covid-19 test as well as all those travelling from Brazil and South Africa due to new variants of the virus there.
Other passengers will be required by law to quarantine at home. It is hoped the measures will be in place early next month.
The Department of Health has been tasked with most of the work. It is liaising with the departments of justice, transport and foreign affairs. The Attorney General is advising on any potential legal issues that arise. Applying mandatory quarantine measures to EU or UK citizens requires changes to primary legislation.