Responding to today’s Government announcement of additional Covid-19 restrictions, Róisín Shortall TD, co-leader of the Social Democrats, commented:
“The absence of measures to mitigate the risks posed by international travel continues to be a key weakness in the Government’s response to the pandemic.
“Minister Eamon Ryan needs to explain why the UK and South Africa travel bans are being lifted this weekend and how he proposes to prevent further importation of the virus from other countries.
“People travelling through Dublin Airport to and from Northern Ireland is another glaring weakness in the system that needs to be addressed.
“The lack of any measures to monitor UK travellers who are supposed to self-isolate after arriving here is a major concern. The Minister should also explain why just one PCR test is required.
“The Chief Medical Officer has said there should be no travel at all in or out of the country and that a single test before arriving here is not a sufficient precaution. Why is the Government ignoring the advice of the CMO?
“The Government’s proposals on international travel are just not good enough considering the huge sacrifices being made by the public.”
January 6, 2021