Sinn Féin spokesperson on Transport Darren O’Rourke TD has said that the addition of just eighteen more countries to the mandatory hotel quarantine list is still not enough and he has said that some people are laughing in the face of current restrictions by booking fake dentist appointments in Tenerife.

Teachta O’Rourke said;

“The general public cannot understand the half measures and slow approach of the government when it comes to dealing with international arrivals.

“While the addition of eighteen more countries to the list of high-risk areas is better than the current situation, why is the government continuing to deal with this in a piecemeal manner?

“The situation is urgent. We need mandatory hotel quarantine for all non-essential international arrivals until the situation is under control.

“It seems the government are coming to the slow realisation that their approach to international arrivals is totally inadequate, but a slow addition of countries to the list of high-risk regions is completely unsatisfactory.

“Portugal, for example, is not included on this list – despite it being the European hub for travel from Brazil – which means people travelling to Britain can continue to use Ireland as a back door to dodge their quarantine.

“The rules put in place to date are shambolic, with some people laughing in the face of the government by arranging fake appointments in dentists in Tenerife and jetting off into the sun.

“Remarkably we still have no timeframe for when hotel quarantine will actually be introduced here, but knowing this government they might have it ready in time for the end of the pandemic.”