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HEALTH MNISTER STEPHEN Donnelly has said there will be no legal basis to tell people to self-isolate in their bedrooms but that “strong public health advice” will contain this message.
The clarification comes after comments made by the minister last night about the government’s new “mandatory quarantine” measures prompted criticisms from opposition politicians.
Under the plans announced by government that have not yet been finalised, persons arriving from Brazil and South Africa or those without a negative PCR test will be required to quarantine in a designated facility such as a hotel, with that quarantine lasting for 14-days.
Other arrivals will be legally required to undertake quarantine at home, with that obligation ending if they receive another negative PCR test taken five days after arrivals.
Speaking on The Tonight Show on Virgin Media One last night, Donnelly said that this quarantine would take place in somebody’s residence but not necessarily in their bedroom.
Speaking on this morning, Labour leader Alan Kelly said that Donnelly’s comments were “very concerning” and questioned the usefulness of the approach.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald this afternoon described it as “a half-measures” and “very alarming”.
The new legal requirement that people arriving into this country quarantine at home essentially gives a legal basis to the previous advice that people restrict their movements.
This is distinct from the stricter advice from the HSE advice that people arriving from Great Britain, South Africa or Brazil must self-isolate (i.e. stay in their room) for 14 days regardless of a negative PCR advice.
While that remains the HSE’s advice, a government spokesperson confirmed to TheJournal.ie last night that there will be no legal obligation on persons arriving from Britain to continue their quarantine if they receive a negative PCR test taken five days after arrival.
Similarly, speaking on the Pat Kenny Show on Newstalk, Donnelly said there is a distinction between the advice for people arriving from abroad and their legal obligation.
Regulations around this are expected in the coming days but Donnelly said they will not specify what room in a house people should quarantine.
“There’s what’s legally possible and then there’s the strong public health advice that comes with it,” he said.
What’s legally possible is telling people they need to stay at home, the law does not extend into the house to tell you what room in your own house you have to stay in. And so we have to work with people and trust people and say, look this is the law.
Donnelly added however that people should be aware that if they are living with others who did not also return from abroad they could put them at risk.
“The whole point of this is that you have to isolate yourself from other people who you could put a risk. So, if you live on your own and you go home to your own house, then you can be wherever you want in your own house,” he said.
If you’re a family coming back you’re already mixing, you don’t you’re not going to be any additional risk to each other. So obviously your home is your home, you don’t all need to go to your respective bedrooms and sit there. However, let’s say you live with other people and you’re travelling on your own, let’s say it’s shared accommodation, in that case, you do need to go and self-isolate because you are a risk to the people that you live with.
He then added the proviso this is ‘strong public health advice’ rather than a legal requirement.
In the Dáil this afternoon, Taoiseach Micheál Martin also reiterated concerns about what is legally possible to do in terms of quarantine, stating that there are “legal considerations as well and enforceability considerations”.
The Taoiseach cited specific concerns about Irish citizens their constitutional rights around “personal liberties and personal freedoms”.
Speaking during the Dáil debate, Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall said there has been a “consistent failure by government in relation to travel”.
In response to the Taoiseach’s explanation about what are an individual’s obligation in relation to quarantine, Shortall said: “I don’t think anybody knows what you’re saying and what exactly you’re talking about in relation to travel.”
A sample of 20 properties out of 48,000 can hardly be considered representative of the total, that is only 0.04%. To have a 95% confidence level, normal in statistics, the sample size should be over 100 times greater, about 2,000 properties.
@D. Memery: Sure that would likely cost billions just to complete the surveys!
@Chris Linehan: not sure it would be billions, but not cheap either, which in of itself highlights just how big the issue is. However, that still doesn’t diminish the fact that the report lacks any statistical foundation from which to draw valid empirical conclusions from such a small sample size compared to what is required.
Every town and village in the country has derelict /vacant properties.. they may not be derilict , but it’s a shame to see them empty.. I would love to see the properties chosen for this survey.
@Daniel Morrissey: it is a shame – but many are in the wrong place to assist with the homeless housing list despite the fact that many small villages could do with an injection of residents
@Daniel Morrissey: Many of which should be razed to the ground and a building with a suitable layout put back in it’s place. The trouble is, these properties are an expensive site so buyers are not interested – and often the owners don’t have the funds to carry out the work. Renovating them doesn’t appeal either because the costs are as much as the aforementioned replace and build. Then add in the stringent planning laws and people just say it’s not worth it. It’s a vicious circle.
Sure derelict buildings are costly to repair, but where and what type of ones. The ones with 50 acre land close to Dublin that nobody can buy bar the crony friend in government / council member / builder… who will get 100.000 free renovation ticket?
I can smell the trickery being cook!
Cpo them , put them up for auction and let the market decide , anyone not developing them within 3 years forfeits the property and what they paid back to the state
Of course a property that is not suitable for living in is exempt from LPT – local property tax – so the idea of paying someone to repair a property sounds great on paper but suddenly this property becomes liable to a tax that did not apply before. One would also be well advised to insure the property. There are ongoing maintenance charges Also, if one rents the property after renovation, one is faced with more taxes and responsibility and also the prospect of not being able to sell the property because of sitting tenants. Why not lease them to the local authority who then become responsible for repair and maintenance and all charges etc. not to mention being able to give homes to people on the housing list
@Niall Ó Cofaigh: I see where are you coming from Niall, do you think that if somebody has building connections or even a company, they could take the 50.000 or 100.000 free to renovate the house nicely, sell it to or even better rent it to the local authority that as you said “have people in the housing list” for a nice price, and pocket the money over and over and over… one house at a time or 50.
Another advantage will be that renovating cost less most times than building from scratch but you can sell it for the same market value pretty much. Better margin! Sounds like a great business to me.
Buildings not suitable for renovation should be forfeited to the state at site value. That might make the owners renovate them on time.
@Tom O’Hanlon: Unfair on owners who just don’t have the funds to renovate.
Total lies, fantastic Herbert Sims buildings lying idle in Ballybough under the shadow of Croke Park and have been for years not sure how many families they could house.
have your say