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'Self-quarantine' for arrivals is now the law with exemptions including for high-level sport

Laws around hotel quarantine are still being drafted.

REGULATIONS MAKING IT a legal obligation to quarantine after arriving into this country have been signed by the Minister for Health.

The laws relate to those who are required to quarantine at home, with primary legislation being drafted to cover the planned mandatory quarantine in hotels. 

The regulations state that people who have arrived into this country are required to “self-quarantine” for a period of 14 days, beginning on the day they arrive here. 

The quarantine must take place in a persons residence or the location stated on their Passenger Locator Form, which remains a legal requirement to complete. 

The period of quarantine no longer applies if a person receives a negative Covid-19 PCR test that was taken five days after arrival.  

These regulations do not apply to persons who have been in a “category 2″ country in the previous two weeks. These persons and those without a negative PCR test are required to quarantine for a full 14 days. 

Brazil and South Africa are currently the only countries categorised as such but the regulations state that other countries can be added to this list by the Minister for Health “having been advised by CMO” and “after consulting with the Minister for Foreign Affairs’. 

Exempted

The regulations also detail eight different categories of traveller who are exempted from the quarantine protocols.

These include people certified as providing essential goods and services, persons travelling for medical reasons, elected office holders, gardaí and members of the Defence Forces. 

There is also an exemption from the 14-day quatrain for people arriving from a country where securing a PCR test was not possible. 

The regulations also contain a specific exemption for high-level sportspeople which says that the regulations don’t apply if the person is “necessary in relation to a sporting event” as designated by Sport Ireland. 

According to the regulations, the person is only allowed to leave their residence to engage in competition or training but that the sporting event concerned must be “at an internationally important competitive level”.  

This stipulation comes ahead of the beginning this weekend of the 2021 Six Nations rugby championship which had been at risk due to quarantine being introduced in participating countries. 

The Cabinet heard this week that legislation is required to enforce rules on mandatory quarantining in hotels for ‘category 2′ arrivals , with this expected to be introduced in the coming weeks.

‘Two islands’

Following previous discussion around the possibility for a “two island solution” as regards quarantine measures in Ireland and Britain, Scottish officials have come out in favour of such an approach.  

Scotland’s national clinical director said the best case scenario for avoiding a third wave of coronavirus will be to include the Republic of Ireland in measures due to the existence of a common travel area with the UK.

The Scottish Government has said it will diverge from current UK policy which will see a system of “managed quarantine” brought in for travellers arriving from certain countries.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said those measures do not go far enough and her government will bring in such a system for all travellers from overseas, while also lobbying Westminster to tighten the rules.

Speaking at the Covid-19 Committee at Holyrood, neither Prof Leitch nor Scottish Constitution Secretary Mike Russell could give a date for when the new measures will be put in place.

But Prof Leitch said: “The public health advice would be that a five-country solution would be the favoured solution – you can imagine why, it’s not rocket science.

“Dealing with any access, via Dublin, from another country would be helpful to us.”

He said if an agreement cannot be struck with other countries in the UK and Ireland, measures should still be put in place in Scotland to ensure coronavirus does not come back in through international travel.

“I’ve said many times at this committee, it doesn’t matter where your low prevalence area is – it could be just Dumfries and Galloway, it could be just the Western Isles, it could be Scotland, it could be the whole common travel area – you have to keep the virus out once you’re at low levels,” Prof Leitch said.

- With reporting by Press Association 

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    Mute Adam Walsh
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    Jan 7th 2015, 7:30 PM

    The only current affairs programme in the world that’s comedy gold

    223
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    Mute Dermot Lane
    Favourite Dermot Lane
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    Jan 7th 2015, 8:17 PM

    Yeah Druid but he can fixate on things sometimes and be a bit of a bully, but always watchable

    55
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    Mute Juninho
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    Jan 7th 2015, 10:25 PM

    I love Vincent but agree he occasionally catches onto the wrong detail in an argument and let’s more serious issues slip. But by and large a great asset to this country.

    30
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    Mute Dermot Ryan
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    Jan 7th 2015, 7:41 PM

    Vincent Browne deserves a Political Pension – He has done more for democracy in Ireland than all of Ff fg and lab in the current Dail – i.m.o.

    This is a clip of him giving it to Bertie …. a set of questions that is ….

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6tQN6H_tVY

    105
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    Mute Denis Maher
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    Jan 7th 2015, 7:48 PM

    Two words guaranteed to leave enda Kenny needing an urgent change of underpants……….Vincent brown.

    98
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    Mute Wexford pikeman
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    Jan 7th 2015, 7:48 PM

    Oh Vincent Brown, of all the Vincent Browns in the world, your the Vincent Browniest .

    86
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    Mute gumbridge
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    Jan 7th 2015, 7:54 PM

    VB is a national treasure.
    I watched him for the first time in a while last night.
    I don’t think he’s back to the full of his health since the pneumonia, but he seems even more crotchety and abrasive with his guests than ever before.
    May he get to do MANY more shows, and continue putting it up to sleeveens wherever they present themselves.

    64
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    Mute Gus Sheridan
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    Jan 7th 2015, 7:55 PM

    This man is a hero of mine!

    48
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    Mute Eimear Cregg
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    Jan 7th 2015, 7:50 PM

    Would love if they replayed some of the Mario Rosenstock clips ! Comedy gold

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    Mute ConcernedCitizen
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    Jan 7th 2015, 8:06 PM

    I wish Vinny all the best.
    Used to be a big fan but since the Irish Water fiasco started he has unfortunately shown time and again that he has sold out to Denis O’Brien. It hurts to say it but he’s just not the force he was at all. The show descends into meaningless farce on a regular basis with eejits like Marie Louise O’Donnell talking nonsense. Last night’s show was the best in ages so we’ll see.
    Happy 1001 anyway !

    36
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    Mute Tweety McTweeter
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    Jan 7th 2015, 9:14 PM

    The man is a machine.

    He was on Ireland AM at 7:30 this morning after finishing late last night.
    To be fair, he was a little cranky but who wouldn’t be with that much sleep? I’m considering changing my angry chicken avatar to him in his honour.

    28
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    Mute Denis Maher
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    Jan 7th 2015, 7:56 PM

    I hope they show the clip where the FG’er Bernard just will not shut up, Willie 0′dea couldn’t get a word in, fionnan sheehan nearly fell off his chair laughing. One of the best ever. If not its worth checking out on youtube.

    26
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    Mute Dermot Lane
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    Jan 7th 2015, 8:40 PM

    And the time Joan Burton lost the rag with Joe Higgins

    28
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    Mute CreditTiger
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    Jan 7th 2015, 11:07 PM

    “Stop haranguin’ me Vencennnt!!

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    Mute Michael Sands
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    Jan 8th 2015, 5:13 AM

    Are they not called tampons lol.

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    Mute Dermot Ryan
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    Jan 7th 2015, 7:42 PM

    If you want to know the government’s thinking on the need for a snap election then watch the guests on Vincent Browne – He has promised to give them as much time as they returned to his offers to appear on the show when they refused-

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    Mute Celticspirit321
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    Jan 7th 2015, 10:13 PM

    I would live to find out the things Vincent knows about some of the politicians which he can’t repeat due to libel etc

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    Mute Eugene Walsh
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    Jan 7th 2015, 10:43 PM

    Absolutely. But it would probably create a civil unrest.

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    Mute Eugene Walsh
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    Jan 7th 2015, 10:17 PM

    Go on, go on just go on,
    Ya ya ya will ya continue
    Ya ya yaaaaa jeez ya
    GO ON WILL YA!

    11
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    Mute Turlough O' Connor
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    Jan 8th 2015, 12:35 PM

    His memory is phenomenal…. Don’t you just love when some old party hack starts spoofing and Vin can quote exactly what was said and then watch the hack squirming!.. Great pleasure indeed…. Irriplacable…

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    Mute Turlough O' Connor
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    Jan 8th 2015, 12:36 PM

    Irreplaceable .., sorry

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    Mute Michael Sands
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    Jan 8th 2015, 5:16 AM

    What would Vincent think of this, Bieden being racist towards all the Irish…
    Vice President Biden: “I may be Irish, but I’m not stupid.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm9BtjqlVXQ

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    Mute Michael Sands
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    Jan 8th 2015, 5:12 AM

    TTIP TTIP Hooray lol.

    1
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