Infectious diseases expert Professor Paddy Mallon has said that if the mandatory quarantine measures were implemented properly then that would go a “significant” way towards correcting “the mistakes of the past”.
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, he also said there needed to be a level of “bio security” at the border between the Republic and Northern Ireland.
Travel and the new variants of the virus were the key issues in stopping the transmission of Covid-19, he added.
Prof Mallon said that while the “worst” of the third wave of the virus might be over, there was still a long way to go. “We are far from seeing the end of the third wave.”
There may have been a reduction in cases in recent days and overall numbers may be reducing, but there were still 175 people in intensive care and “there’s still an awful lot of very sick people on the wards,” said Prof Mallon.
Any actions taken needed to be on the basis of learning from past mistakes, he said. “We can only open up if cases remain low.” There needed to be a recognition that travel was “a big part of that".
Ireland was facing “fundamental choices” he said.
Mandatory quarantine measures were public health initiatives, but they would only work if they were implemented properly.
