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Sam Boal

Passengers arriving to Ireland will be checked to ensure they are self-isolating under new measures

People will have to fill out a form of where they are staying.

PEOPLE ARRIVING TO Ireland during the Covid-19 crisis will have to give an address of where they are staying which will be checked up on by authorities, under new measures due to be announced.

Speaking in the Dáil this afternoon, Health Minister Simon Harris said when a person arrives at the airport they will be required to fill out a form saying where he or she intends to stay for the period of their stay.

Currently people are asked to self isolate, but that is not checked, said the minister.

The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) has made a number of recommendations to the Cabinet sub-committee on Covid-19, he added.

“I expect to be able to announce them shortly. We have to consult with a few more key stakeholders,” he said.

“We need to put that mechanism in place. While there is not a significant volume of people coming into the country now, we must be sure that we are not in a position where we are all following best practice here and people coming in from abroad are following a different one.

“I expect an announcement on the further tightening of restrictions at the airports, and more than just taking somebody at his or her word that he or she is following the isolation restrictions,” he said.

Currently, if someone comes to Ireland from overseas, whether you are an Irish citizen or not, they are expected to self-restrict their movements for 14 days.

Harris’ comments come after the Taoiseach admitted that “it is not monitored enough”.

“I think we need to do more on that, particularly as we reopen the country, and as we reopen foreign travel, we’re going to need to have these mechanisms in place to make sure that there are controls,” said the Taoiseach.

Varadkar said these new mechanisms will be put in place to monitor people who enter the country before wider foreign travel resumes in the coming months. 

Speaking on RTÉ’s Prime Time programme, Varadkar said:

“As far as I’m concerned it should only happen if necessary, and must happen with restrictions to make sure that there are health checks, to make sure self-isolation is observed for 14 days, and we need to put in place a belt and braces approach.

We have the belt at the moment, we need the braces too, to make sure that is more tightly monitored.

“Even though the numbers going through airports have been very small, down 99% in terms of passenger travel in the past few weeks, even though we have had people coming through, we have had very few, if any, imported cases in the past few weeks, we just want to make sure there aren’t any now.”

He also insisted that Irish ports and airports must remain open to bring essential supplies into the country, including medical and food supplies. 

Earlier today, Varadkar faced questions from opposition leaders today on the lack of transparency around decision-making during the Covid-19 crisis. 

Labour leader Alan Kelly questioned the make-up of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), how members were appointed and who ultimately makes decisions.

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    Mute Marcas Ó Callanáin
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    Apr 25th 2016, 1:17 PM

    That’s a nice touch, fair play to them.

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    Mute Michael League
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    Apr 25th 2016, 1:11 PM

    Makes we wonder why they had a fake 1916 anniversary a few weeks ago. The dates were all wrong FFS!

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    Mute Ger Comings
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    Apr 25th 2016, 1:15 PM

    FFS = ?

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    Mute Boganity
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    Apr 25th 2016, 1:17 PM

    You have heard of a characterization Michael ?

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    Mute Damien McCormick
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    Apr 25th 2016, 1:18 PM

    For feck sake or Fianna Fáil are shite

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    Mute Eyepopper
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    Apr 25th 2016, 1:20 PM

    Enda was worried that he wouldn’t get to play chief at the celebrations so he shifted it forward 6 weeks.

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    Mute Conor O'Callaghan
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    Apr 25th 2016, 1:31 PM

    @Michael – It is commonly known as the EASTER rising. Last month was the 100th EASTER since the EASTER rising. Hope this helps you, and the 500 billion commenters that have already pointed that out.

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    Mute Gerry Ryan deG
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    Apr 25th 2016, 1:41 PM

    It’s a bank Holiday weekend

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    Mute TheBull
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    Apr 25th 2016, 2:00 PM

    It’s celebrated at easter every year. Some people just love moaning though.

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    Mute Michael League
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    Apr 25th 2016, 3:52 PM

    Maybe the anniversary of something should be on the date it actually happened. But f*ck logic, right?

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    Mute Raymond Power
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    Apr 25th 2016, 4:05 PM

    Just as well known as the 1916 rising or even the Dublin rising.It happened to be at easter time but easter had no significance whatsoever. Maybe the “500 billion” are unaware of the significance of 100 years to the day..At 17:30 listen to the beeps..close your eyes and let math do the rest.

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    Mute Tom Gleeson
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    Apr 25th 2016, 6:11 PM

    Easter had no significance? So your telling me they planned the rising for 24 April and it just happened to be Easter, silly Pearce not spotting that calender clash.

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    Mute Concerned Citizen
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    Apr 25th 2016, 1:27 PM

    Any chance of a list of stations so I don’t miss it?

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    Mute RandomAct Of Kindnes
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    Apr 25th 2016, 2:16 PM

    “Irish Republic declared in Dublin today. Irish troops have captured city and are in full possession. Enemy cannot move in city. The whole country rising,” Written by James Connolly. transmitted by Marconi operator David Burke.

    If you miss it. this is the message that will be played

    https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/260318263%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-x9qEZ&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Apr 25th 2016, 5:23 PM

    Radio Nova’s going to play it. Thanks, Google, for captioning group photos. Thanks, The Journal for the news!

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    Mute Eyepopper
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    Apr 25th 2016, 1:19 PM

    Sick to the back teeth of all the 1916 stuff now, can’t help but feeling it’s all totally disingenuous… while we have 100′s on hospital trollys, 500 kids in care who don’t have a social worker handling their case – we could go on & on.

    And all the while a bunch of ‘politicians’, more concerned with saving face and feathering nests than forming a government, who have the gall to present themselves as representatives of the people and of the state at these commemorations.

    It’s slightly ironic that on the 100 anniversary of independence, never before was the saying that the Irish can’t be trusted to govern themselves more true.

    Lets be honest, the men and women who gave up their lives in 1916 did it in vain, the only thing that really changed were the faces of the pigs at the trough weren’t they?

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    Mute Les Behan
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    Apr 25th 2016, 1:25 PM

    Well said Eyepopper!

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    Mute Brendan Walsh
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    Apr 25th 2016, 1:26 PM

    And yet in the Human Development Index, we are rated 6th best country in the world to live in. We all know it could be better but we’ve come a long way since we gained partial Independence.

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    Mute Ger Comings
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    Apr 25th 2016, 1:32 PM

    Maybe Brendan – but not a good place to be ill in….

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    Mute Eyepopper
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    Apr 25th 2016, 1:35 PM

    Whereas the British mainland has stalled, still stuck with the same living conditions and quality of life they had in 1916?

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    Mute Eyepopper
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    Apr 25th 2016, 1:37 PM

    Tell one of those kids that was left in an abusive foster home that it’s one of the 6 best countries in the world to be abused.

    Tell the people on waiting lists and on trollies its the 6th best country in the world for medical treatment.

    Then tell them if they have enough money they can buy their way to the solutions to these problems.

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    Mute Sam Glynn
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    Apr 25th 2016, 1:42 PM

    Completely concur Eyepopper, my relatives definitely died in vain :-( very sad but very true comment.

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    Mute Gerry Ryan deG
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    Apr 25th 2016, 1:43 PM

    It’s better to be screwed by a politician called Paddy than a lad called Clive

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    Mute Eyepopper
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    Apr 25th 2016, 2:52 PM

    I’ll bow to your experience Gerry, although I’d rather not be screwed at all if it can be helped.

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    Mute Shane Molloy
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    Apr 25th 2016, 6:00 PM

    There you living, the Isle of Man ?

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    Mute Shane Molloy
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    Apr 25th 2016, 8:53 PM

    Well then do your bit to deliver on the Proclomation !

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    Mute THE BIG LAD
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    Apr 25th 2016, 1:38 PM

    No Govt for the 100th Anniversary ….the lads will be up in arms at the pearly gates!!!

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    Mute Kieran OKeeffe
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    Apr 25th 2016, 1:28 PM

    Nicely put eyepopper..every true word of it..hard to believe,that out of the hundred years since the rising..Enda Kenny has been hiding in the dail for 40 of them..accidental Taoiseach was never more apt..

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    Mute Tweed Cap
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    Apr 25th 2016, 1:42 PM

    I agree with you Eyepopper. I’m all nineteen sixteen’ed out myself at this stage. To think it was the forerunner to the two ar$ehole parties that were spawned not long after. They still can’t agree on anything right up to this very second.

    They are a disgrace to this nation despite the well intended and expensive commemorations. They’ve taken the gloss of the whole thing.

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    Mute Charles Mount
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    Apr 25th 2016, 7:12 PM

    Marconi broadcast from Ballycastle to Rathlin Island in 1898 and live broadcast the Kingstown Regatta the same year. He established a transmission station at Rosslare Strand and Clifden in 1901 and established a regular radio service at Clifden in 1907.

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    Mute Leo Lowe
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    Apr 25th 2016, 4:17 PM

    What a load of tripe.

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    Mute Shane Molloy
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    Apr 25th 2016, 6:10 PM

    Don’t worry “normal” will resume for you soon

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