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'It's not looking good': Foreign travel looking 'highly unlikely' this year, says Harris

Government is to consider making it mandatory to self-isolate if you arrive in Ireland from abroad.

HEALTH MINISTER SIMON Harris has said foreign travel for the Irish public is looking “highly unlikely this year”.

The minister also confirmed that a working group has been set up by the Taoiseach to establish if it can be made mandatory for those returning to Ireland – Irish citizens or not – to self isolate for a period of two weeks.

“At the moment it is not looking good for foreign travel. The advice still remains that should not leave the island of Ireland,” said Harris at the Department of Health this afternoon. 

Harris said “being truthful to people it is looking highly unlikely this year”. 

Even if the travel advice did change and people could book holidays abroad, they would still have to self isolate for two weeks upon their return, he said.

“All of a sudden… your two-week holidays becomes four weeks,” he said. He added that most countries are still advising that people do not travel. 

Speaking about possible regulations to make it mandatory to self-isolate, he said: 

“We now have a measure in our airports, that when you come in now you fill in a passenger form where you are committing to self isolate for 14 days. That’s whether you’re Irish, or not, regardless.

“The Taoiseach has asked a number of ministries to consider with the Attorney General whether we need to underpin that form by regulation and we will make a decision on that in the coming weeks.”

Passengers travelling into Ireland are currently being asked to complete a Public Health Passenger Locator form, showing their contact details and the address at which they will self-isolate.  

At the moment, very few people are coming to Ireland through airports or ports, he said.

He said long-term planning and a “robust system” is needed.

If people are travelling to Ireland, it will be “really important” that they self-isolate.

“Because we could be doing everything right here. We need to make sure that we don’t
import the virus,” he said.

Recently, the Taoiseach said “it is not monitored enough” when asked how or if people are checked on when they arrive in Ireland.

“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.

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149 Comments
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    Mute Sinabhfuil
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    Jul 12th 2014, 10:08 AM

    Ah, tis well I remember driving past one of the Dublin Corporation developments of the 1980s with a well-off professional in the building industry. He pointed at it in a fury. “Look at that! Materials and work to an inspected standard no private builder could possibly afford!”
    Remember when a house being built by a council was a guarantee of quality? The best of materials, workmanship inspected stringently, everything done perfectly.

    85
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    Mute Kate Ellen Egan
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    Jul 12th 2014, 10:57 AM

    There are people who got corporation houses when they were on hard times at small rent , bought them when they were a little better off for well below the market value but come the Celtic Tiger ,kids gone they were sold for mega bucks ,was that a fair thing to do ? after all corporation houses were the original social housing schemes

    78
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    Mute Inntalitarian
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    Jul 12th 2014, 11:11 AM

    Social housing should never be sold to a private owner. It distorts the market completely and is entirely unfair to regular buyers, particularly those just above the threshold for SH.

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    Mute GATHERINGYOURMONEY14
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    Jul 12th 2014, 4:52 PM

    Part “V”
    How appropriate.
    The establishment yet again gives the V sign to the working poor middle-classes.

    7
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    Mute Edward Smith
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    Jul 12th 2014, 1:08 PM

    Great, you work hard and save for years to get your own space and then a family of welfare bums moves next door to you for free.

    56
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    Mute George Grey
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    Jul 12th 2014, 10:28 AM

    Developers milked and milking the system. Many broke developers are now employed by NAMA to look after their greedy and failed projects. In tow with the banks they decimated any vision for sustainable housing projects in this country. The real hindrance to the industry is not social housing but rather a desire to maximise profits with little cost.

    53
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    Mute Edward Smith
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    Jul 12th 2014, 1:20 PM

    On the RTE news two months ago there was an item about Cluid Housing Association handing over two beautiful new houses to a Nigerian single mother and a Polish family. We are never going to be able to build hoses for everyone who decides to come here.
    We should concentrate on housing our own people first.

    48
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    Mute Bobby
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    Jul 12th 2014, 1:22 PM

    Europe would slap you for saying that. Your not allowed. You must do as they say in the Union……

    27
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    Mute Junkie Joe Joyce
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    Jul 12th 2014, 4:18 PM

    “Our own” have had it too easy for generations. I’ve no doubt that a Nigerian or Polish family would appreciate social housing far more than many of our own anti-social degenerates.

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    Mute Edward Smith
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    Jul 12th 2014, 7:02 PM

    Now that truly is genius, lets teach our poor a lesson by bringing in the Worlds poor.

    5
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    Mute Robert Meade
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    Jul 12th 2014, 11:05 AM

    So sticking a few social housing units into a new estate is the government’s answer to social integration?

    38
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    Mute Patlyndo
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    Jul 12th 2014, 11:19 AM

    Got it is painful to watch. The same eejits, discussing the same problems with the same eejits and coming up with the same solutions, that have not, did not and will not work to address the “social” housing issue.

    32
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    Mute gkrell
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    Jul 12th 2014, 11:57 AM

    Do they ever consider that the reason so much social housing is needed is because the price of property is way out of line with the average wage? 25% of children are born to single parent families now. 50% of people in social housing are single parents. Single parenthood is becoming the new normal. The solution is not to milk the taxpayers, but to let the price of property naturally reduce to suit market demand. A single parent who minimum wage should be able to afford their own home. They are not an edge case any more. They are becoming the majority.

    19
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    Mute Kal Ipers
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    Jul 12th 2014, 12:16 PM

    So we should sell property cheaper than the materials? How about the other parent pays for their child and people actual aim for better employment.

    41
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    Mute gkrell
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    Jul 12th 2014, 12:47 PM

    not at all. The high price of property is not because of the materials used, it is because prices are unnaturally inflated due to a number of reasons. One reason is, people are told the state will pay their retirement costs, so instead of needing to save money for retirement, they have more available to spend on property. The price of property is only what people are willing to pay. We have a society now where people work 40-50 hours a week just to pay for the box you get to leave your stuff in while you are away working to pay for the box to leave your stuff in. Then the other factor is the increasing number of people who rely on social housing. 100,000 people are living in social housing within Dublin city’s canals. This decreases the amount of property available to own/rent pushing property prices higher and also removes the demand for low cost housing from the market, as this cost is being born by the tax payer who are paying for housing in some of the most desirable city centre locations.

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    Mute gkrell
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    Jul 12th 2014, 1:13 PM

    oh and we’re not talking about paying for children here which of course both parents should help. A single parent family needs two homes, one for the father and one for the mother. The children could split their time between the homes making their support share equal, but two homes are still needed. One has to be paid for by the mother and one has to be paid for by the father. This sort of family is becoming more and more common now. They used to be an infrequent edge case so the cost has been born by the tax payer as the majority of families had two parents, needing only one housing making the cost of buying a home a single parent prohibitive. Now though, more and more families are living in single parent homes – 25% and growing meaning 50% of social housing now goes to them, paid for by the tax payer. What needs to happen instead is that the market adjusts to meet the new reality of home-owners. It’s quite realistic to this. We don’t have the money to fund an ever increasing number of single parent homes. House prices just need to drop to a level that is affordable by the new market instead of being propped up by tax-payers. It’s a no brainer. However the biggest opponent to this is the state and the banks who likes to keep inflating the cost of housing because it is a cash cow.

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    Mute Bobby
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    Jul 12th 2014, 1:15 PM
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    Mute Kal Ipers
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    Jul 12th 2014, 1:17 PM

    You don’t even see your own argument in your suggestion. Why would people bother if the can have a child and get really cheap housing and work a low paying job.
    If you reckon it is viable to provide houses @ 65k and make a profit I suggest you become a developer. Of course it requires non union workers and free land.
    Personally I think we should be trying to use the stock we have. Maybe give tax incentives to retired people to move from the prime locations that are well serviced for families and those working. The capacity for city suburbs is grossly under used.

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    Mute Bobby
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    Jul 12th 2014, 12:33 PM

    That’s how it works in England. Private/key worker/social units in each development.

    6
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