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As it happened: Ireland introduces mandatory quarantine and faces five more weeks of Level 5

It’s another significant day in the country’s response to Covid-19.

LAST UPDATE | 26 Jan 2021

TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has confirmed an extension of Level 5 restrictions until 5 March.  

It’s also been confirmed that all arrivals into Ireland, except for certain exceptions, will face mandatory quarantine either at home or in a hotel. 

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said that “in most cases” this will be at home. 

  • Arrivals from South Africa, Brazil or those without PCR test to face mandatory quarantine in a hotel
  • Arriving without a PCR test will also mean €2,500 fine or six months imprisonment
  • Extra gardaí at ports and airports

Good morning, Rónán Duffy here to guide you through all the developments on another significant day in this country’s response to Covid-19.

Eleven months ago the debate was around an Ireland-Italy Six Nations match and the difficulty in stopping people arriving from abroad, so much has changed in the interim but now we may actually see people being held in hotels.

There’s also the small matter of a million school students who are still trying to learn from home and what the next couple of months will look like for them.

One of the things that’s changed in those long eleven months is the development of the government’s new Covid-19 Sub-Committee, which is chaired by the Taoiseach. 

It means that any of the big decision are usually taken before a full meeting of Cabinet where they effectively get the final sign-off.

It’s possible that Cabinet may tweak some of the plans from the sub-committee yesterday but it’s also unlikely. 

Our political correspondent Christina Finn has a good summary here of what was agreed yesterday: 

  • Restrictions to remain in place until 5 March
  • Mandatory quarantine for all arrivals from South Africa and Brazil at a hotel
  • The same for those without a negative PCR test
  • Increased checks at ports and airports

After the Cabinet sub-committee meeting, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar went on RTÉ’s Claire Byrne Live and laid out the thinking behind the government’s decision.

Varadkar has previously voiced his concerns about the feasibility of mandatory hotel quarantine for all arrivals and said last night that if it was introduced it would probably be in place “for at least a year” because “it’s hard to reverse”.

The move towards mandatory quarantining among a number of nations, including Ireland and the UK, comes amid increasing concern about the spread of new variants of Covid-19. 

The variant that was first identified in the UK is on its way to becoming in the dominant strain here and has been seen to be particularly infectious. 

Opposition parties, such as People Before Profit and the Social Democrats, have long been arguing for a so-called ‘zero Covid’ approach, which uses lockdowns to drive Covid-19 to very low levels and then use quarantine to keep it from re-entering the country. 

The government has frequently dismissed this as unworkable in the Irish context given the county’s connectivity with other EU member states and the porous Northern Ireland border. 

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has also pointed out that NPHET has never argued for such an approach. 

The idea of mandatory hotel quarantine has been long recommended by NPHET, however. As far back as last July Deputy CMO Dr Ronan Glynn said it would be “desirable”

PastedImage-20052 Rollingnews.ie Rollingnews.ie

Speaking of the opposition, the parties have been out of the plinth this morning on this very issue. 

People Before Profit will this week table a Dáil motion calling on the government to adopt a “zero-Covid policy for the elimination of community transmission”. 

Party TD Richard-Boyd Barrett said that the government’s Living with Covid-19 strategy has “failed spectacularly:

Trying to live alongside Covid is like trying to play footsie with a tiger, it just does not work. We need to end the ad hoc, piecemeal, reactive approach to dealing with Covid-19 because it has failed us and instead pursue a comprehensive alternative Zero-Covid strategy that seeks to eliminate community transmission, and then allow us to get past this terrible cycle of surge and lockdown. 

Labour has moved into this area too but has declined to use the term ‘Zero Covid’, with party leader Alan Kelly TD saying over the weekend that he prefers the term “aggressive suppression”. 

The party’s Louth TD Ged Nash also used that terminology today and, and as a border TD, spoke about what he felt is needed in those counties. 

PastedImage-25044 Labour TD Ged Nash Rollingnews.ie Rollingnews.ie

Nash said restrictions need to be introduced that can be applied on people from Northern Ireland who are non-resident in the Republic: 

If you live in Belfast, you can travel to Baltray in Co Louth or Belmullet in Co Mayo with impunity once you’ve crossed the border. But if you’re living in Louth you can’t travel from north of the country to the south, without being asked by a member of An Garda Síochána to turn back to where you came from. 

PastedImage-37619 Youtube / SkyNews Youtube / SkyNews / SkyNews

Meanwhile, across the water in the UK, Home Secretary Priti Patel says that the government  “will not hesitate to take further action” to prevent new strains entering the country. 

Patel won’t go into details on the new plans being discussed but said:

From January 2020 the government has had a comprehensive strategy for public health measures at the border. To date, Border Force has checked an estimated 3.7 million passenger locater forms, issued over 2,300 fixed penalty notices and referred over 22,000 cases to the police.

It is expected that an announcement on the quarantine plans would be made later today and will include passengers arriving into England being made to stay in quarantine hotels. 

Despite reports suggesting it could take up to three weeks to implement the policy – partly due to the logistical challenge of arranging accommodation for thousands of arrivals – the head of a hotel chain Best Western Great Britain said they could mobilise “within 24 to 48 hours”.

Just to finish off the tales from the plinth this morning, this is Sinn Fein’s Darren O’Rourke TD outlining his party’s position: 

We believe a mandatory quarantine regime is needed and we also believe that mandatory testing pre-arrival and post-arrival is required. And it’s not only us, NPHET have indicated that these are the type of measures that are required, as have other political opposition parties and the community. The public at large I believe want to see this type of regime and the government’s measures don’t go nearly far enough. 

The Cabinet meeting is ongoing by the way, here is what Taoiseach Micheál Martin said on his way into Government Buildings today. 

He said if, as expected, mandatory quarantine is introduced it can come on board “very quickly”. 

Travel is coming down very significantly it’s down to quite low levels now in the last weekend. The majority would appear to be Irish people who went on holidays abroad during the Christmas period and we need to clamp down on that. I mean that is in itself a violation of Level 5 regulations that we have in place. So I think overall the combination of measures and the cumulative impact of all of the measures that we’ll take today will have a significant impact on the remaining level of travel that is ongoing.

The Taoiseach also mentioned healthcare workers who have been dealing with the high level of Covid-19 patients in hospitals this month, saying they have been “heroic”. 

“Those working on the frontline have been truly heroic in the last month, of that there is no doubt. But the hospital numbers are too high and the number of people in intensive care is too high, and even at the end of February they’ll still be too high in my view. And that’s why we’re extending and continuing the restrictions,” he said. 

But while the Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Green Party government is on the verge of introducing mandatory hotel quarantine for people from “high risk” areas, some party backbenchers are asking that they go further. 

Cork South West TD Christopher O’Sullivan is calling on government to adopt the same measures that are in place in New Zealand and Australia, where all arrivals are quarantined in hotels. 

“Increasingly we’re seeing images and video of people in New Zealand enjoying concerts, social gatherings and experiencing a fair degree of normality,” O’Sullivan said.

“My sister moved back to New Zealand in September with her family. While they had to do 14 days in a hotel, it was a small price to pay for the freedom they now experience.”

new-zealand-wellington-new-cabinet New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. PA Images PA Images

The Fianna Fáil TD’s mention of New Zealand is timely too, with the country’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying that the country’s borders are likely to be closed for most of this year

Ardern said the emergence over the weekend of New Zealand’s first case of community transmission in more than two months showed the danger Covid-19 still posed to a nation hailed for its response to the coronavirus.

She said her government would not re-open its borders – which have been effectively closed to all but returning citizens since last March – while the pandemic was still raging worldwide.

“Given the risks in the world around us and the uncertainty of the global rollout of a vaccine, we can expect our borders to be impacted for much of this year,” she told reporters.

Just to catch you up to speed with another hugely significant story that’s developing today

AstraZeneca is already in the sights of the European Commission after it was revealed that it could miss its contracted deliveries of the vaccine to EU countries by as much as 60% in the first quarter of this year. 

Now, the company has rubbished a news report quoting unnamed government sources in Germany that claimed the its Covid-19 vaccine showed little efficacy for people above 65.

The German government has also rubbished the claims, which appear to be based on a reporter’s error, but there remains concern about the approval of the vaccine in the EU. 

The EMA is set to decide on the use of the vaccine this week and a separate German newspaper is reporting that the vaccine may not be approved for people aged over 65. 

And while we’re on the topic of vaccines, Director General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has recently sought to remind countries that a ‘me-first’ attitude to obtaining supplies of vaccines will only prolong the pandemic.

Yesterday he said “vaccine nationalism” may serve short-term political goals, but it is in everyone’s long-term economic interest to support vaccine equity.

“Until we end the pandemic everywhere, we won’t end it anywhere,” he said.

This week talks are continuing between the Department of Education and teachers’ unions about a safe re-opening of schools.

The Taoiseach said over the weekend that it is unlikely all students will be physically back in school buildings by St Patrick’s Day 

Last night Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said the level of disease in the country is still too high to allow for the mobility of over a million people that would be associated with a full re-opening of education.

Special education will be the priority in talks over this week, with a focus after that on primary schools and students due to sit State exams this year.

Some Cabinet news from our political correspondent Christina Finn:

“Cabinet has agreed to extend restrictions until 5 March, with arrivals from Brazil, South Africa and those without negative test to be held for 14 days in mandatory quarantine.

Those returning to the Republic through Northern Ireland will also be legally required to adhere to the rules here.

“It is believed that fines of €100 for going over 5km limit will be increased if you’re in breach of the 5km rules and found to be intending to travel abroad for a non-essential reason.”

shutterstock_1146564245 Limerick City Shutterstock Shutterstock

It’s not just Covid-19 restrictions that are being discussed at Cabinet today, those of you living in the Republic of Ireland’s third-largest city may have a directly elected mayor by the end of this year. 

It comes as the Cabinet approved the drafting of legislation for the role of a directly elected mayor for Limerick City and County. 

The electorate of Waterford, Limerick and Cork city went to the polls in 2019 to decide whether or not they wanted to have a directly-elected mayor but only Limerick voted in favour.

Minister of State Peter Burke today confirmed that the legislation required to enable the first election for a directly elected mayor will be advanced as quickly as possible, with the aim of an election taking place before the end of this year.

As the role is due to come into existence in the middle of the local government electoral cycle, the first mayoral term will run until the local elections in 2029.

We’re not expecting any surprises, but the Taoiseach should be up now in a few minutes. 

Another noteworthy change that’s been agreed by Cabinet is that what is currently advisory in terms of restricting movement will now becomes stricter. 

As of now, people arriving to Ireland require a PCR test before they arrive but are also asked to restrict their movements for 14 days when they get here, this restriction can end after five days with another negative PCR test.

Previously, this measure was only advice but it will now become a legal requirement to self-isolate. 

This is separate from those who don’t have a negative PCR test or those arriving from Brazil or South Africa who face mandatory quarantine in a hotel.

Micheál Martin has begun speaking:

I understand the appeal of the idea that there’s a simple answer to the pandemic in our country. That we just pull up the drawbridge and we’d be back to normal in no time.  The truth is that there is no easy way through this pandemic or out of it. The number of travellers coming into our country has absolutely collapsed. And we’ve taken a number of decisions today designed to further suppress that number.

Here it is on the mandatory quarantine: 

Mandatory quarantine at designated facilities will be required for persons who arrived from Brazil and South Africa. 

In other cases, passengers will be required by law to quarantine at home.

These regulations will apply to anyone who travels into Ireland from any port or airport on the island, including ports and airports in Northern Ireland.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar says mandatory quarantine is effectively in place for all arrivals exception some exceptions but that this quarantine might be in hotels or at home:

We also made some significant policy changes in relation to foreign travel. With some exceptions, anyone entering the State from overseas will be subject to mandatory quarantine. In some cases that will be mandatory quarantine in a hotel. In most cases mandatory quarantine at home. It will be mandatory not advisory for the first time. 

PastedImage-49991 RTÉ RTÉ

If people arrive here without a negative PCR test, not only will they have to got to a facility to quarantine, but they will also face either a fine of €2,500 or imprisonment of six months. 

The Taoiseach also confirms that there are “early stage” discussions about a “two island strategy” with UK counterparts. 

Taoiseach: 

Sometimes people put forward the idea that we can seal the border, we can’t, one cannot seal the border…. Anyone who lives along the border will tell you this, it’s not as simple as putting a kind of seal on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, it’s seamless interaction.

Our political correspondent Christina Finn has been seeking clarification on the mandatory quarantine requirement from Transport Minister Éamon Ryan. 

Ryan confirms that as per the traffic light system, people can end their quarantine after five days if they receive a negative PCR test.

This does not apply with people arriving from high risk areas such as Brazil and South Africa. 

PastedImage-15872 Julien Behal Julien Behal

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar says the talk of ‘zero-Covid’ as being a potential solution is ‘frustrating’: 

I think that’s part of what I know and government find it a bit frustrating about the Zero-Covid’ promise, that if only did this one thing in three months we’ll be living like New Zealand. That’s not the case that’s a false promise really.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin expressing caution around the impact vaccines will have long-term:

NPHET are very cautious about the impact of the vaccine on society. Their view of the vaccine is that they know the evidence is there that protects against mortality and serious illness but it’s they’re not able to see yet that it stops the virus being transmitted to somebody else. So they are very very cautious about all of that.

And on that rather glum note we’ll end this afternoon’s liveblog. We’ll publish a summary of today’s changes in the next while and I’ll link to it here. 

Thanks for joining us! 

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    Mute Ken Donegan
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    Jan 26th 2021, 11:46 AM

    Mandatory hotel isolation should have been done months ago

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    Mute Morg
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    Jan 26th 2021, 11:48 AM

    @Ken Donegan: 11 months ago to be precise

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    Mute James Lough
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    Jan 26th 2021, 11:58 AM

    @Morg: at least we have a political measure of how slow the government is. 11 month’s.

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    Mute Jim Buckley Barrett
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    Jan 26th 2021, 1:46 PM

    @Ken Donegan: Here’s the problem – I could fly into Dublin and be told that I must stay in a hotel for the next X days or I could fly into Belfast, hire a car and cross into the republic via the hundreds of small crossing with zero monitoring or knowledge. How effect would mandatory hotel isolation be in that situation? As long as the Northern Ireland assembly weren’t willing to play ball with us and have a unified approach, anything we did was going to be pointless. Just ask yourself how many people from the south crossed into Northern Ireland to have a drink when the pubs were closed down here?

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    Mute Brendan Deasy
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    Jan 26th 2021, 4:48 PM

    @Jim Buckley Barrett: the number who would actually be so selfish as to do this would be quite low. Regardless if mandatory quarantine stops 5%, 50% or 95% bringing COVID-19 into Ireland, that’s lives saved. It is therefore worth it. It will also mean these lockdowns that most people hate can end sooner because there would be less transmission. Every expert is agreed on the need for quarantine.

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    Mute Carlin Ite
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    Jan 26th 2021, 11:54 AM

    Mandatory hotel quarantine, something that should have happened last March. We would be well through the brunt of this.

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    Mute Kate Flaherty
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    Jan 26th 2021, 12:11 PM

    @Carlin Ite: some people like me and others were suggesting this last February, we were laughed at as if somehow this was not coming our way, imagine we had a proactive government who had taken a stance back then?!, we’d have been the envy of the world by last Summer….

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    Mute Carlin Ite
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    Jan 26th 2021, 12:22 PM

    @Kate Flaherty: 100%. I am astonished when I hear people say Leo did a great job

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    Mute Kate Flaherty
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    Jan 26th 2021, 12:34 PM

    @Carlin Ite: Leo has blood on his hands, the entire nursing home debacle falls solely at his feet, lives were lost unnecessarily, as a physician he has behaved appallingly in ignoring expert nephet advice, Míchál Martin does not inspire confidence, and as for the opposition have been less than useless…

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    Mute Jim Buckley Barrett
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    Jan 26th 2021, 1:47 PM

    @Carlin Ite: Here’s the problem – I could fly into Dublin and be told that I must stay in a hotel for the next X days or I could fly into Belfast, hire a car and cross into the republic via the hundreds of small crossing with zero monitoring or knowledge. How effect would mandatory hotel isolation be in that situation?

    As long as the Northern Ireland assembly weren’t willing to play ball with us and have a unified approach, anything we did was going to be pointless.

    Just ask yourself how many people from the south crossed into Northern Ireland to have a drink when the pubs were closed down here?

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    Mute Marlnor
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    Jan 26th 2021, 3:36 PM

    @Jim Buckley Barrett: that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t do it while also trying to work with NI. Boris is bringing in mandatory quarantine anyway.

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    Mute Carlin Ite
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    Jan 26th 2021, 4:36 PM

    @Jim Buckley Barrett: I think what you are saying is 100% correct but from my point of view it’s still important to do it. It would have made a precedence, sent a clear message. It would also put pressure on the DUP to act responsibly on the matter. They probably wouldn’t act but a lot of their older voters might remember that they played the orange card when actually important public safety measures where more important
    A clear stern message from the Taoiseach that people crossing the border would have to report or fines will be issued

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    Mute Martin Scaldbag
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    Jan 26th 2021, 4:43 PM

    @Carlin Ite: Leo did a great job.

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    Mute Carlin Ite
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    Jan 26th 2021, 5:00 PM

    @Martin Scaldbag: no he didn’t. He is a walking press release. If he closed the ports and started mandatory hotel quarantine and didn’t open up as early as they did our second and third wave wouldn’t have been as significant.

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    Mute Contrary Mary
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    Jan 26th 2021, 5:56 PM

    @Kate Flaherty: Couldn’t do that last Feb. We’d just come from the cusp of the world being told you stop people entering your country and you are nation alistic rac ists. Bad juju for elected officials and country.

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    Mute Nioe
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    Jan 26th 2021, 12:01 PM

    Travel is a red herring and a social media stunt. There will still be thousands of essential workers travelling in and out with no quarantine. Roll on roll off freight is a major part of the way we live. Zero covid strategy is not the way to go. Cases are dropping and vacines are ramping up. Why all the increases now. Just a distraction tactic for political reasons.

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    Mute Luke
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    Jan 26th 2021, 6:08 PM

    @Nioe: Yup people seem to think we are Australia or New Zealand
    They know we arent in Leinster House just a big stunt to distract from Draconian level 5 going a full 2.5 months

    11
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    Mute George Vladisavljevic
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    Jan 26th 2021, 12:26 PM

    We are allowing passengers from other countries to enter Ireland, and if they are arriving from a green or orange region and have a negative PCR result, they are free to travel across Ireland but I am not allowed to travel more than 5km’s from my house or leave Ireland, even if I self-quarantine and provide a negative PCR on my return.

    Perhaps restrict those coming to Ireland to stay within 5 km’s from their port of entry? If we are not allowed to leave, why are they allowing others to enter?

    133
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    Mute Tony Humphreys
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    Jan 26th 2021, 4:24 PM

    @George Vladisavljevic: two wrongs dont make it right. Freedom is non negotiable.

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    Mute John Egan
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    Jan 26th 2021, 11:57 AM

    How coincidental a more contagious strand of the virus appears right before Christmas. Giving reason for a new lockdown, very similar to March’s one. What would have happened if it didn’t exist and we had low numbers. Oh, wait we already know from experience in the summer, a controlled lockdown (levels). Regardless of case numbers this last year, including when hospital numbers were low in the summer, lockdowns have been the outcomes. As well as now one of the pharmacuteqcal companies already warning of fewer vaccine quantities. I wonder what hat will lead more too. Surely even the very least aceptic of people would start wondering what’s going on.

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    Mute NotMyIreland
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    Jan 26th 2021, 12:03 PM

    @John Egan: but we weren’t in lockdown in summer? Lockdowns have were only introduced when case numbers spiked, not regardless of case numbers. As for your wondering about the mutations, they happen all the time, and the longer it takes to vaccinate the entire world the greater the chances of more problematic variants arising.

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    Mute John Egan
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    Jan 26th 2021, 12:14 PM

    @NotMyIreland: we were in a form of lockdown in the summer. We certainly were’nt free or anywhere close to it. And yes Variants do happen, this one just so happened to adapt right before the busiest time of the year. Also I heard/read variants usually decrease in intensity not increase, now I do I need to look more into that part.

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    Mute JustBEERbarry
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    Jan 26th 2021, 12:21 PM

    @John Egan: take off the tinfoil hat John. No one is trying to cod you about coincidental variants appearing coincidentally before Xmas. Relax. Covid has really shown up the crackpots for who they are.

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    Mute John Egan
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    Jan 26th 2021, 12:28 PM

    @JustBEERbarry: ha, yeah maybe. I don’t know, just don’t. But the reality is no one actually knows for certain.

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    Mute Derdaly
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    Jan 26th 2021, 12:29 PM

    @NotMyIreland: we had 5 and 20 km restrictions in June schools never reopened, , restaurants and gastro pubs had the 105 minute restrictions when they opened in July, wet pubs got to open in August, closed again in September, never opened in Dublin. Maybe not the lockdown as the NPHET fans would like but still severe restrictions on life. All to give th HSE and NPHET time to prepare for the second wave, protect the nursing homes, improve our hospitals. And yet here we are!!

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    Mute JustBEERbarry
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    Jan 26th 2021, 12:34 PM

    @Derdaly: NPHET fans? Go away out of that. NPHET have been proven correct since day one. You just don’t like what they have to say. You are more like a NPHET denier.

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    Mute Vanessa
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    Jan 26th 2021, 12:35 PM

    We had the first lockdown to “prepare the healthcare services”
    We had a second one to “have a meaningful Christmas”
    We had a third one because “we still opened everything for Christmas while the rest of Europe was closing down”

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    Mute NotMyIreland
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    Jan 26th 2021, 12:47 PM

    @John Egan: no we had some restrictions for public health, not a lockdown. And we will continue to have restrictions of some sort into late 2021. We were a lot closer to “free” in summer than we were in either March 2020 or Jan 2021. Viral mutations go in all directions and its untrue to say they usually make them less dangerous. Some can make virus more efficient, more deadly or more benign. Most make no measurable difference at all. The ones that stick are always the ones that increase transmission. In many viruses a mutation, for example, that makes it more lethal will die out as many are not transmitted before symptoms appear, and if it makes the host very ill very quickly, the host has less chance of passing it on. So in most viruses the mutations that tend to survive best are the ones that increase transmission without hampering it by making the host to ill too quickly. The issue with mutations of this virus is the period of presymptomatic spread gives this virus a chance to mutate to become more harmful while not effectively hampering its chances of multiplying and spreading. At the end of the day that’s all it wants to do, reproduce and find new hosts.

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    Mute Derdaly
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    Jan 26th 2021, 12:56 PM

    @JustBEERbarry: were they correct last summer when they said travel wasn’t an issue or are they correct now? We’re they correct in November and December when they said schools weren’t an issue or are they correct now? Were they correct last March when they moved hundreds from hospitals to nursing homes? We’re they correct in October when with a level 5 lockdown with minimal improvement on the previous level 3 l, helping to create the December surge.
    There is no critical analysis or questioning of NPHETs actions, just a constant narrative that when things go well it’s down to them and when they go wrong it’s blamed on the public. NPHET are the same HSE and DoH public servants that have mismanaged the health service for the last 20 years and now suddenly they’re unquestionable experts!!

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    Mute NotMyIreland
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    Jan 26th 2021, 1:11 PM

    @Derdaly: Travel is now an issue because of the new variants and the general high levels in many other countries, so you can’t compare now to the summer in that regards. Travel is as much of an issue now as it was last February or March. And schools didn’t prove an issue when levels in the community are low but like everywhere when levels in the community are high their risk profile raises. The rest I agree with you on.

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    Mute Jim Buckley Barrett
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    Jan 26th 2021, 1:51 PM

    @John Egan: you might want to loosen that thin foil hat.

    We have a government that everyone says are useless – can’t do anything right – but somehow they are managing to be involved in a worldwide conspiracy involving all the countries and governments, millions of nurses and doctors, hundreds of thousands scientist and the list goes on.

    yep, it’s a conspiracy to control us – inject us with a tracking device ….. lucky for us we can run to the edge of the flat earth and jump off at any time.

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    Mute John Egan
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    Jan 26th 2021, 2:04 PM

    @Jim Buckley Barrett: never questioned the existence of the virus Jimmy,, or the vaccine.

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    Mute John Egan
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    Jan 26th 2021, 2:11 PM

    Also the word conspiracy is thrown around way to frequently. are you aware of the great reset or Build Back Better? These sound like conspiracies too but they’re not and they’re exactly what’s been worked during this pandemic. Although I would have thought the only focus right now would be trying to end this pandemic.

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    Mute William Tallon
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    Jan 26th 2021, 2:17 PM

    @John Egan: What’s going on? It would appear you suspect something nefarious is happening. I think you should ‘stop beating round the bush’ and tell us out straight what it is and not selfishly keep it to yourself…

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    Mute NotMyIreland
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    Jan 26th 2021, 2:36 PM

    @John Egan: Proper planning to mitigate against effects of further disasters is just as important as ending the current pandemic. The great reset is a proposal by economists on how this could be achieved. I don’t think it should be economists who concentrate on ending the current pandemic, leave that to the relevant scientists and health professionals.

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    Mute Declan Doherty
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    Jan 26th 2021, 4:05 PM

    @NotMyIreland: There was a report earlier this week about 1 almost empty flight that led to over 60 outbreaks across the country last Summer. Travel has always been an issue and continues to be now. The public have been way ahead of the government on every aspect of this virus. It’s taken them 11 months to catch up with us on this and even now it’s a weak willed response with half assed measures where the inconvenience will far outweigh any benefit.

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    Mute The Irish Bull
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    Jan 26th 2021, 12:13 PM

    Practically a year into this sheet-show and our position is twice as bad as it has ever been. Last May after a huge national effort, covid numbers were in single-digits and zero-covid was a reasonable expectation. Why are we in this position. One reason.
    #FFG.

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    Mute Hector Son
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    Jan 26th 2021, 4:29 PM

    @The Irish Bull:
    Bull
    #Christmas

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    Mute Rob Lyn
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    Jan 26th 2021, 12:48 PM

    The numbers are dropping as rapidly as could be expected. Is it seriously proposed that primary school children will not be going back to class until March at the earliest? That is homeschooling for more than all of February… much longer than the time that our two very young children have been home schooled since Christmas. My work is seriously under pressure and, more importantly, my family is under pressure. (I am certain this is not unique to me or my family.) If the numbers continue their current downward trend, how can homeschooling still be justified? And, if our children’s education is important, how come teachers are not been vaccinated so that they can go back to in-person teaching with some peace of mind? (Vaccinations for teachers is not even being considered.) If children are going to be getting almost the majority of their schooling from untrained parents, are the government going to pay for every child to repeat the year or have summer school so that they can catch up?

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    Mute Vanessa
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    Jan 26th 2021, 1:11 PM

    @Rob Lyn: I share your sentiment but as long as they tell me that something like a hike or golfing is dangerous I have trouble to be convinced that my son would be safe in a classroom environment

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    Mute Rob Lyn
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    Jan 26th 2021, 1:34 PM

    @Vanessa: I get where you are coming from but it is not the hike or golfing that is dangerous. It is traveling outside of your locality and thereby increasing the probability of clusters mixing that is dangerous.

    Numbers will be below 400 per day in 10 days from now (going by the trend of the last 3 weeks). Numbers may drop even faster if all medical staff and those whose jobs cause them to travel or come in close contact with many people (i.e. Nurses, Doctors, Gardai, Teachers, Delivery Drivers etc.) get tested – and then vaccinated first. If the numbers are lower in 10 days than they were in November and school children have a low risk of transmission of the virus, why are primary schools not going to open? Why are we being told a date in March and not a number of cases per 100,000 at which schools will reopen? Why are teachers not being vaccinated? There doesn’t seem to be a planned approach to this. It really seems to be run by public pressure and fear which is driven by the media and politicians who are driven by feedback from the public … one big circular mess.

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    Mute emer mcdonnell
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    Jan 26th 2021, 1:37 PM

    @Rob Lyn: can we stop putting pressure on to open everything up too soon. I have two primary school children myself and home schooling isn’t fun, but I’d prefer to send them back after 6 weeks when hopefully numbers are way, way down and we can track and trace properly. Hopefully, if the government and public sticks to really tough restrictions we can get back to some sort of normality by late Spring. I’m so envious of New Zealand and Oz!

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    Mute Rob Lyn
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    Jan 26th 2021, 2:09 PM

    @Emer McDonnell: I am fine with them going back after 6 weeks too. However, the government should give every home school ‘teacher’ an extended mid term break of 4 weeks (let the children have a holiday now) and then extend the school year into the summer.

    Comments on the journal shouldn’t put pressure on the government. If the government had a plan with steps based on milestones then what is written in the journal’s comments section would cause them no pressure. But they don’t have a plan. They have hundreds of bits of plans and the ‘plan’ changes every 2 or 3 weeks.

    @Government: Why are teachers not being vaccinated? How many people will be vaccinated before teachers, Gardai, Truck Drivers etc.? Why are those that are at the biggest risk of spreading the virus the last to be vaccinated?

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    Mute emer mcdonnell
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    Jan 26th 2021, 2:31 PM

    @Rob Lyn: I agree, I think SNAs should be vaccinated first just as care home workers were, and teachers should be further up the list. I’d much prefer a really tough, strict lockdown like in March, close all borders and have a 14 day mandatory quarantine,regardless of where you’re coming from, heavy fines for rule breakers . The government really need to keep communicating with us , and they need to be tough and decisive, otherwise this lockdown yet again will be for nothing.

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    Mute Stan Papusa
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    Jan 26th 2021, 2:02 PM

    So the “strategy” is a high death toll AND running the country into the ground…

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    Mute Bill O'Cearbhaill
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    Jan 26th 2021, 2:24 PM

    BrAiNWAsheD sheePLe

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    Mute TonyB
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    Jan 26th 2021, 12:21 PM

    People coming from NI into quarantine?

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    Mute Michael Flynn
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    Jan 26th 2021, 11:54 AM

    Who is in charge of the combined Irish healthcare response, travel, lockdown etc between cabinet meetings? Who is our Covid General?

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    Mute Hugo Bugo
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    Jan 26th 2021, 2:44 PM

    All a load of nonsense and half measures, look at simple announcement from new Zealand prime minister, Borders to remain closed for most if not all of 2021, job done, no level 1,2,3,4,5 back to 3 then up to 3 plus, now new Zealand can go back to enjoying life as normal even go and enjoy a live concert with thousands of people, again we’re a joke and our government is a joke

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    Mute John Peeters
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    Jan 26th 2021, 3:20 PM

    @Hugo Bugo: I wish to f@ck people stop quoting NZ and Aus. They are islands in their own right, they don’t have vital links with other countries as Ireland does with the UK or the rest of the EU. Delighted they have got things right. We as a nation bal@sed up by some individuals socialising over Xmas like everything was normal. The measures being announced will be beneficial but shutting the country off is not the answer

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    Mute Declan Doherty
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    Jan 26th 2021, 3:52 PM

    @John Peeters: Shutting the country off is part of the answer. The more people we have moving around the more the virus spreads. NI adds some complexity but it’s still not impossible. We should be make travelling here, incredibly expensive and inconvenient so it puts people off.

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    Mute Hugo Bugo
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    Jan 26th 2021, 4:10 PM

    @John Peeters: so the last 10 months of in and out of lockdowns was caused by a few people socialising over Christmas, oh right I see, and was it out government that facilitated that Christmas socialising?, and u wish people would stop quoting examples of countries who have done this correctly, I see, all interesting points, no your right we should keep patting Leo and Michael on the back for doing such a great job, my bad

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    Mute ed w
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    Jan 26th 2021, 4:24 PM

    @Hugo Bugo: we will see what their winter brings.

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    Mute John Peeters
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    Jan 26th 2021, 4:38 PM

    @Declan Doherty: the measures the government announced today are proportionate and an improvement on before. We are part of the EU, so you cannot shut the country off.

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    Mute John Peeters
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    Jan 26th 2021, 4:51 PM

    @Hugo Bugo: The last lockdown was in no small part due to socialising recklessly, the first was at the start of the pandemic, and the measures used then were good but because we had a non-existent test and trace and a police force that was unwilling to be dragged into enforcing measures for fear of offending citizens and a health system that is ineptly managed, we had the second wave.
    Let’s see how these measures work between now and March 5, but we should not model ourselves on NZ and Aus. If we wanted to do that we are too late. A lot of people will find it incredibly hard to go through another potential 6-9 months of this. And if you add keeping schools closed here, you damage a generation, perhaps irrevocably.

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    Mute Sam Harms
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    Jan 26th 2021, 5:20 PM

    @ed w: they’ve already gone through a winter since the pandemic began

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    Mute Mac Dara Powell
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    Jan 26th 2021, 5:27 PM

    @John Peeters: John not bringing in 1500 Brazilians to work in meat factories would be a great start as we now have over a hundred cases in two of these factories already and won’t be shut down.

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    Mute Irene Mc Hugh
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    Jan 26th 2021, 6:12 PM

    @Mac Dara Powell: Another 62 cases in a meat factory today …….42 in a meat factory in Wexford yesterday …… Why are they not being closed down ??? It beggars belief !

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    Mute JillyBean
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    Jan 26th 2021, 12:01 PM

    Mandatory Quarantine regardless of where they are coming from. We will drive down this virus and keep it down. Please, give us Irish people our lives back!!

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    Mute Tess Ting
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    Jan 26th 2021, 12:20 PM

    Can someone answer a Q on mandatory quarantine, as i am unclear. Would it apply to someone coming into Ireland who has a home here? How would it work if you were flying back with children? Or is it only for people flying in who are essentially tourists, have no place to go here.

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    Mute JustBEERbarry
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    Jan 26th 2021, 12:24 PM

    @Tess Ting: I think at this stage everyone has a good idea that nobody can really be trusted to isolate/quarantine properly in their own homes and this is not just ireland, its happened worldwide. The mandatory quarantine is supposed to be a deterrent to travelling at all.

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    Mute Tess Ting
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    Jan 26th 2021, 12:30 PM

    @Tess Ting: Absolutely and I agree with it for incoming people from abroad but it would seem odd if I live in Swords and flew into the airport with 2 kids and I had to go to a hotel in city west with them instead of my house in swords, there is surely a fundamental breach of rights there, in that hypothetical not really relevant what the reason for travel was

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    Mute JustBEERbarry
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    Jan 26th 2021, 12:36 PM

    @Tess Ting: you living in swords or tralee or Galway is irrelevant. They can’t start making exceptions for people. If you travel, you stay in the hotel. That’s it.

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    Mute Vanessa
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    Jan 26th 2021, 1:13 PM

    @Tess Ting: Do they look the door of the room or which power would the people of the hotel have?

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    Mute Finn Bar Regany
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    Jan 26th 2021, 1:14 PM

    @Tess Ting: if i was you I’d go to gov. Ie instead of asking someone on here.

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    Mute JustBEERbarry
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    Jan 26th 2021, 1:22 PM

    @Vanessa: nobody locks a door. You are an adult. Stay in the room. What’s so hard to grasp? It’s attitudes like yours which has no seen the need for mandatory quarantine.

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    Mute Vanessa
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    Jan 26th 2021, 2:13 PM

    @Tess Ting: “I think at this stage everyone has a good idea that nobody can really be trusted to isolate/quarantine properly in their own homes ”

    Why can they be trusted to stay in the hotel if the hotel has no power?

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    Mute John Peeters
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    Jan 26th 2021, 3:16 PM

    @JustBEERbarry: but if you have a negative PCR test upon arrival and not arriving from Brazil and South Africa you don’t need a hotel quarantine.

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    Mute Marlnor
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    Jan 26th 2021, 3:43 PM

    @Tess Ting: the idea is you don’t fly, it is a deterrent so they wouldn’t be bending over backwards making it easy.

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    Mute ed w
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    Jan 26th 2021, 4:23 PM

    @Tess Ting: anyone travelling basically has to quarantine unless they have a valid credit test. jo ifs or buts. if you want the aus/nz model that’s it.
    as you can see from the moaning from the tennis players over there at the moment. no exceptions.

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    Mute Irene Mc Hugh
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    Jan 26th 2021, 6:17 PM

    @Vanessa: They will need security guards in the hotels ……CCTV cameras which will show if you leave your room ……big fines if you do leave your room ….About time that the government are doing this ….should have happened months ago ….

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    Mute Vanessa
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    Jan 26th 2021, 7:56 PM

    @Tess Ting: I don’t know what they can do legally. I was curious why someone can’t be trusted to stay in the one home but be trusted to be in a hotel.

    I was just curious what would be different.

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    Mute Dave
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    Jan 26th 2021, 5:07 PM

    So the horse bolted, came back for its shoes, and then remembered it forgot its keys, returned for them also and now the stable door has been closed…

    This government have been nothing short of a complete and utter disaster.. I hope people remember this the next time they need to vote

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    Mute
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    Jan 26th 2021, 5:14 PM

    @Dave: reactive rather than proactive Dave

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    Mute JillyBean
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    Jan 26th 2021, 1:10 PM

    If we are going to use mandatory quarantine like NZ and Aus, Will we end up being in lockdown for longer to try and eradicate it completely?

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    Mute JedBartlett
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    Jan 26th 2021, 3:31 PM

    @JillyBean: Yes. As long as the virus is still circulating in other parts of the world we will be in a quasi lockdown in that you won’t be able to freely travel outside of the country without possibly having to quarantine at your destination and then again when you return home.
    New Zealand have had 1 case recently but yet today they have said they won’t open their borders until maybe the end of 2021. They will decimate their economy by doing so but hey ho, so it goes.

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    Mute Marlnor
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    Jan 26th 2021, 3:40 PM

    @JillyBean: we would get to a point where the borders would still be closed but everything internally opened until worldwide situation improves

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    Mute Marlnor
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    Jan 26th 2021, 3:41 PM

    @JedBartlett: no they won’t. Their pubs are open their shops are open their hotels are open. They are not paying pandemic unemployment. Only sufferers are airlines and they can be paid off.

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    Mute Looney Tunes
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    Jan 26th 2021, 1:39 PM

    Plenty of hotels around the airport, lying idol,

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    Mute Keith Molloy
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    Jan 26th 2021, 2:15 PM

    We should go for a zero Covid plan immediately…we’re gonna end up doing it anyway,and the UK will inevitably also implement the same strategy…Best to get cracking at it now….

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    Mute kris
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    Jan 26th 2021, 3:20 PM

    928 new cases and 90 deaths gonna b announced this evening

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    Mute Martin Scaldbag
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    Jan 26th 2021, 4:41 PM

    @kris: thank you Dr. Know all.

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    Mute Marlnor
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    Jan 26th 2021, 5:37 PM

    This does not go far enough. All UK arrivals over Christmas were supposed to quarantine at home for 14 days. It needs to be mandatory hotel quarantine. Surely the hotels, caterers and security industries would be happy about this. Also this talk of zero covid not working is crazy. Give it a try. Aim to save even a few more lives. Even the UK have got the point now. This government are not paying attention. Lives are more important. Our children being able to socialise and go to school is a bigger goal than continuous lockdowns. There is no strategy. Ok, they got it wrong, very wrong. But at least do a U Turn now.

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    Mute Mark Thornton
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    Jan 26th 2021, 6:19 PM

    “Their view of the vaccine is that they know the evidence is there that protects against mortality and serious illness but it’s they’re not able to see yet that it stops the virus being transmitted to somebody else”.
    Forgive my ignorance, but I fail to see the problem here, if everyone or majority of people are vaccinated and the risk of mortality and serious illness is practically non existent in the majority of the population surely this can just be treated as any other virus that’s out there, you get it, you might get sick for a bit (considering a lot of people don’t get symptoms), you recover. That has to be an acceptable risk to move on from this. Its kind of how we have done things before 2020.

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    Mute Stan Papusa
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    Jan 26th 2021, 1:37 PM

    Netherlands?

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    Mute Seosamh
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    Jan 26th 2021, 3:13 PM

    Wow exciting stuff, what’s next.

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    Mute James Keogh
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    Jan 31st 2021, 8:43 PM

    Boyd-Barrett, A Party in himself suffers from Empty Can syndrome. This fellow just rattles on and on and has nothing but nuisance value.
    Big question is, “Has he Ever done Anything to benefit the people only, get a few local favours Már Dheá, that people were entitled to.

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    Mute Mary Ward
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    Jan 27th 2021, 12:41 PM

    The Good Friday Agreement is an international agreement made by MINISTER cld not be part of domestic law without ratification of t by the dail and the oireachtas. The ESM Treaty is another one not part of law of state unless ratified by DAIL or indeed DAIL can sned it back to the people and by the way what did mon agree to BULLIED into agreeing to not only to get money to bail out bank but PAY PUBLIC BILLS .. BILLION .

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    Mute Mary Ward
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    Jan 27th 2021, 12:25 PM

    What good are these lockdown and travel restrictions without a vacine.

    It is reported that the contract between EU and Vacine maker requires vacine maker to ‘do its best ‘but the contract between vacine maker and uK requires vacine make to meet commitments. Why is govt cowtowing to EU Commission objections to govt purchasing vacines elsewhere when Germany Hungary UK all buying elsewhere and not flouting any EU Law so why is govt behaving as it is?

    Is it the ESM Treaty that EU Commission has to browbeat govt with and that the S Court told the Govt MUST BE LAID BEFORE THE DAIL as an International Agreement. The minister has not done it and nor have TD acted for constituents in holding govt accountable to DAIL for not so doing.

    We are now told that we will be getting 300 000 vacines for feb march AND I cannot see govt being able to lift restrictions or ease lockdown and no vacine in place . We are being led into more borrowing to fund lockdowns by govt.

    TD are not acting for constituents and exercising dail power to hold govt to account to DAIL (VOTERS) on budget and international agreement as commission has that treaty by which minister agreed to EU Commission monitoring performance of the loan terms until loan paid back and not one cent of the principle is paid back and nor is the fund charge with the cost of paying any interest pj it,

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