Ireland may introduce compulsory quarantine for travellers - PM

Reuters

13 May, 2020, 03:10 pm

Last modified: 13 May, 2020, 03:12 pm

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar speaks at a count centre, during Ireland's national election, in Citywest, near Dublin, Ireland, February 9, 2020. Photo: Lorraine O'Sullivan via Reuters

Ireland may introduce a legally enforceable 14-day quarantine for people arriving in the country to replace the current system in which 14 days of isolation is merely advised, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Wednesday.

"We may need to tighten it up a bit because at the moment it is advisory, it is not enforceable by the law. We may have to do that," Varadkar told Today FM radio, speaking days after the United Kingdom announced plans for a quarantine.

Restrictions on entering Ireland, part of a Common Travel Area with the United Kingdom but not a member of the European Union's Schengen free travel area, would need to be in place "at least until we have some kind of international agreement" on air travel, Varadkar said.

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