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INTERNATIONAL PASSENGERS ARRIVING in Ireland should be closely monitored to avoid the spread of a new coronavirus strain in Ireland, a senator has said.
Sinn Féin Senator Linn Boylan has said that the government should implement a stricter tracking and tracing system for people coming into Ireland to curb the onset of a new coronavirus variant.
A new strain of coronavirus has been identified in parts of England, Scotland and Wales, with some European countries choosing this morning to stop flights from the UK.
Speaking on RTÉ’s This Week in Politics, Boylan said that “what we need instead of a flight ban, we need to fix what we haven’t done throughout the whole pandemic which is monitoring people coming into the country”.
Boyland said we need to have a “proper contact tracing and testing taking place” instead of relying on people to fill in a locator form and “do do the right thing”.
“I think we need to have a system where people are going to restrict their movements and they are followed up to ensure that that is happening,” Boylan said.
“That would help to address some of the issues around people coming in, because it is a huge concern for people coming home now for Britain over Christmas and if they are carrying that strain,” she said.
“It is really concerning, but I find it more concerning the fact that we’ve had nearly a year now and we’ve never cracked that nut of tracking the people who are coming in and leaving the country.”
England’s chief medical advisor Chris Witty said yesterday that the new coronavirus variant, which was first identified in the south east of England, could spread more quickly than the current strain.
England, Scotland and Wales have announced stricter restrictions ahead of Christmas in a bid to slow the spread of the strain through limiting social interactions.
Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy have suspended flights and trains from Britain over fears of the new strain.
In Ireland, the government is now considering travel restrictions from Britain, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said.
The strain has currently not been identified in Ireland or Northern Ireland.
Fianna Fáil TD Jim O’Callaghan said that the government may need to consider moving up the date for stricter limits on visits between household.
O’Callaghan said the Cabinet will “take into account the advice from NPHET” when it meets on Tuesday.
“But I think we also need to recognise that this country is in a much better position than the United Kingdom,” O’Callaghan said.
“If you look at what happened in the United Kingdom yesterday, it is unacceptable that the government would announce at 4pm on the Saturday before Christmas that people can’t travel as of 12am that evening,” he said.
O’Callaghan said that the “reason for that is because decisions weren’t made early enough by Prime Minister Johnson”.
“What we need to take into account is that we’re in a good position here, but what we recognise from the numbers is that household visits seem to be the driver,” he said.
“I suspect the government will revisit that when it meets on Tuesday in terms of limiting the amount of people that can go to households maybe earlier than what was originally planned.”
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Stop international travel.close the border.lets look after ourselves
Ignore all government advice and restrictions. Listen to the scientists and follow their advice. STAY AWAY FROM PUBS, RESTAURANTS AND ALL NEEDLESS ACTIVITY.
Please
Stop all flights….NOW
@Cosmos20202020: Exactly- why wait until Tuesday?? A lot of infections could be introduced between now and then
Here here! Really don’t understand we we haven’t been doing this all along like other countries. Test on the way in, strict quarantine with visits from the Garda or other contact trace officials. Then test again five days later. Free to move once those test results back negative. The travellers pay for their own tests as part of their agreement to be allowed to enter the country. This will stop the spread and save lives. It’s a no brainer.
@Carmel O’Dwyer: people should be placed in quarantine. If that is not done, then everything else is futile.
@Carmel O’Dwyer: What you’re proposing is illegal. EU (Irish) citizens can’t be charged to enter the country. If the government want to stop cases from travel (which is the small minority of cases), then they should provide free testing to those coming in on international flights.
Actually er should do what they did in New Zealand. Just stop letting people in unless they are in supervised quarantine for 14 days. Jeez, it’s just Christmas which could be missed for once, could it not? To save somebody’s life?
@Joe Griffin: here we go….New Zealand.
They are nowhere near anywhere and don’t have a land-border with a coloured history to contend with.
@Fozz: the virus doesn’t care about our colored history. And we still have borders, which allows us, surely, to protect ourselves?
@Fozz: You can’t deny they have the proof in their handling. If thats too much then try out a few other southeast asian nations that did the same methods and have similarly low numbers.
@Joe Griffin:
New Zealand isn’t comparable. New Zealand isn’t in the EU and has more sovereignty than we have on these sorts of issues. New Zealand doesn’t have a land border. New Zealand is much further away from a lot of other countries. We are in the middle of the US and the EU, both accounting for almost 50% of global GDP. Especially with all the MNC’s, that’s going to count for a lot of travel. Unless you close absolutely everything, we’re going to be in the same position as before. By the way who the hell makes up what’s essential and non-essential? It’s so subjective.
It’s (more than) a bit late to be suggesting this now duh..
Does sht always have to hit the fan before decisions are made /action is taken?
@Jazz Buckler: Well, before anyone demands any action is taken. It’s usually a considerable time after that than any actually is, if at all.
@Jazz Buckler: I absolutely agree that it’s late, but as Tesco says: every little helps.
@Jazz Buckler: well, yes… Considering we have a housing crisis, healthcare crisis, homeless crisis, public transport crisis, etc etc.
Kent….worst hit spot….do you know whats in Kent…..quite a lot of Irish people who will be coming home on the boat….ban flights and ferries now….it has to be done…
Need banned uk flight/ferries due there new virus dangerous more than covid and need army setup border closed
I flew back on Friday…there is a form but nothing stringent. I also took 2 covid tests…once before flying and one after…should anyone ask….
@Alan McDonald: that’s great and all, but I think if you flew in on Friday, you have to restrict movement and quarantine for 5 days here. Then you go and get your test AFTER the 5 day quarantine. If it comes back negative you can then do what you like and not restrict your movement anymore. That’s my understanding and I am open to correction in it. I haven’t looked into it in great detail as it doesn’t affect me personally so I may be wrong :)
@Stop the Lights: I am isolating and will take another test in 3 days. Just saying two so far have been negative :-)
@Alan McDonald: ah ok, no bother. Fair play to you! The amount of people I’ve heard of that seem to think they can test on arrival into Ireland, get a negative result and go about their day, is frightening. I think there’s a lot of misinformation and people are coming home for Christmas and swanning about the place, unintentionally spreading the virus. However, you sir, are doing the right thing. So thank you!
THE DOG ON THE STREETS KNOWS THAT.
Or just close the Ports and Airports
If they are not prepared to act on travel restrictions the very least they could do is make an address asking our citizens abroad to protect those at home by trying to prevent the new strain getting to Ireland. So please don’t travel from britain unless you absolutely have to. Their current inaction and silence is sheer negligence in their duty to protect citizens.
We are an island. Shut all inward travel down to non residents. Those coming in have to isolate in a hotel somewhere. Close the border with north as they seem incapable of staying at home. Let’s look after our country
It’s like we’re back in March again :(
@Colleen: until we know about this new strain, we kinda are.
Everyone take a breath and get a grip of yourselves.
Mass hysteria doesn’t work. Thought all the clowns panic buying big roll in March would have realised that by now.
Sounds like SF want a police state.
@Michael Flynn: keep taking the drugs, only a half wit would come out with that.
@Michael Flynn: cop yourself on. Ffa
Check how many flights from outside UK.
K l m have up to 4 a day.
Why
@Shay Flynn: fair point, but the UK is suffering from a particularly bad strain, it’s travel from the UK that we need to stop – or at least monitor more carefully
You could put your life savings on the fact the new strain of virus is already here. Just look at the original strain. It’s been detected in sewage samples from EU cities as far back as Sept 19, well before China alerted. We do need to put a block on introducing more of it. That would seem the logical thing to do.
Did you intentionally spell her names wrong at every opportunity.?
close the airports before it is too late unless it is a mandatory quarantine when someone enters like Australia then we should not trust people to fly in and stay inside for 14 days it won’t happen
We do need to step up the game with any or all of the following…
1. PCR test 72 hours before arrival
2. Rapid test before boarding
3. require the contact tracing app be installed and operational
also have some location information so their location can be verified remotely
(note that is for visitors who wish to visit, not for Irish residents and
would only apply during isolation periods).
4. Every person or group be spoken to upon arrival and
5. Establish the nature of the visit and if non essential holiday travel return on the next flight being the ultimate sanction
6. Get details of where staying and who staying there, so that everyone on the house is contacted and instructed to restrict movements.
7. Daily check up that isolation is taking place by home visits etc.
8. Jail people who come into the country and break isolation pending their being returned home,
In many countries were we visit there are rules we must follow, visa registration, hotel registration with passport, etc. why not make it such that visitors here have the ultimate sanction of “deportation” of a kind should they fail to abide with the health requirements here.
We turn people back at the Dublin Kildare border sometimes so why not just send UK (and other) nationals packing if they break the rules here,
We could employ people on the Pandemic Payment to carry out some of this work and it would have the benefit of helping in control and also of providing useful employment for people out of work and, as they are needed less and businesses open up, they can return to their normal jobs and know they have contributed to the opening of society. (I add I am suggesting that the posts be temporary and paid at a proper rate and not just getting people working at the PUP rate). Much of the legislation covers health officials so these people can be granted the powers needed under the health acts… and they could also be used to cover other checks on regulations .. just a thought..
the bottom like however is that we do need more control over the movements of people into the country and where they go.
@Niall Ó Cofaigh: I agree with your comments though maybe instead of using people on PUP we could use people who have been collecting the dole for 10 or even 20 years. I’m sure they would be keen to answer their country’s call.
Will the vaccine work on the new strain and will the new strain fuse with covid 19 and become another strain .Or could the newer infectious strain run out of steam quickly.Travel from abroad should be banned from every country for now have we not learnt anything about how covid19 came here in the first place. The big qestion is will the vaccine work on this new strain .
Michael Martin needs to close the borders with UK.
The problem we have is that when all is said and done there is usually more said than done
have your say