Minister for Public Expenditure Michael McGrath has defended the Government’s mandatory quarantine proposals describing them as “really significant”.
Speaking on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland, Mr McGrath said “I think the steps we are taking are really significant.”
While there were logistical issues around the implementation of the measures that have to be worked on, he said that “all of Government” would be supporting the Minister for Health in “putting these decisions in effect”.
International travel was not a source of infection, he said. The level of risk from such travel had to be put into perspective. Essential chains (of travel) needed to remain open especially for business.
Mr McGrath added that he accepted there would be difficulties in policing the measures. Gardaí would have the power to turn people away en route to the airport as they were outside their 5km.
People going on holidays to Lanzarote would be fined because it was not an essential journey. “Those people are breaking the law.”
The first priority of the Government was to take pressure off the hospital system, he said. Even in a month there would still be significant pressure on frontline staff.
We don't govern through soundbites.
Responding to criticism by the GRA about the mandatory quarantine plans, Mr McGrath said: “We don't govern through soundbites, we govern through making decisions".
The plan will become operational “in the coming weeks” when the Minister for Health and the Minister for Justice will lay out how it will operate. Some elements will require primary legislation, he said.
“This virus is relentless.” The Government was going to be cautious, and he said he made no apologies for that. “We want to keep the numbers as low as we possibly can.”
“The Government has to make decisions and be consistent in how we see them through," Mr McGrath added.
The key concern was that a zero Covid policy (as being demanded by the Opposition) was not realistic or achievable and had not been recommended by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet), he said.
The reopening of special education schools remained a priority, and he anticipated an update on the situation “in the next week or so".
