Róisín Shortall TD, co-leader of the Social Democrats, believes that Ireland needs to learn from the success of New Zealand in combatting the spread of Covid-19.
Deputy Shortall said:
“The Government needs to follow the clear advice of the CMO and leading public health experts, such as Professor Gabriel Scally, who said over the weekend that Ireland could eliminate the virus if it adopted the strict quarantine rules in place in New Zealand. We need to see mandatory quarantining or double testing of people coming in from countries of high rates of infection if we are to replicate that success here.”
Deputy Shortall said the Government had caused widespread confusion on the issue of foreign travel by sending out mixed messages.
“At a time when we are seeing a worrying rise in the numbers of Covid-19 cases, why did the Government relax the rules by changing travel advice for incoming travellers from self-isolation to restricted movements? Even when a green list of countries is published, the Government is still advising against non-essential travel, which is simply adding to the confusion. There is a shocking lack of clarity on the issue and we simply cannot continue like this.
“Reopening our schools and getting the domestic economy back up and running must be the priority. All the sacrifices made by Irish people over the past four months will have been for nothing if we don’t take decisive action on the risks posed by travellers arriving in Ireland from countries with high rates of infection.”
ENDS
July 20, 2020