Clear plan needed for travel restrictions
- Explanation needed on airport testing
A clear plan is needed from Government on travel restrictions according to Labour Transport Spokesperson, Duncan Smith T.D.
Deputy Smith was speaking after it was announced that Ireland is to align with EU Commission policy and adopt a traffic light system for international travel.
Deputy Smith said:
“At the beginning of August, Minister Donnelly went on the This Week programme on RTÉ Radio and said random testing at airports would begin ‘imminently’ and to date testing has yet to commence. We then heard from the Tánaiste on Primetime that the Government are examining whether to bring in a pre-departure testing regime but that ‘we’re not there yet.’
“The Government have made a complete mess of this with an incoherent and inconsistent policy. They need to immediately come out and explain what the definitive position on airport testing is, when it will commence and if it is definitively scrapped, they need to tell us why.
“We are now nearly two months on from when Minister Donnelly made the initial announcement about airport testing. It seems the Government have no concrete plans to put in place a comprehensive testing and tracing regime in our airports and are making it up as they go along.
“I have been calling for strong comprehensive testing and tracing regime for visitors arriving from all non-Green List countries for several months now. We also need an adequate follow up system to ensure that those who are supposed to quarantine do.
“The Government need to come clean on airport testing and tell us whether it will actually begin or whether they intend to let it slip quietly off the agenda. The current system of testing and tracing incoming travellers is inadequate. We need a robust system of mandatory testing targeting travellers from non-Green List countries.