Not all travellers into the State required to quarantine at home will be checked up on, the Minister for Justice has said.
The Irish Times reports that gardaí will not be entering private dwellings to perform checks.
It comes as new Government measures on international travel during the Covid-19 pandemic are set to give a legal basis to a mandatory period of quarantine after arrival in the State.
Minister Helen McEntee said some of those returning to the Republic would have gardaí call to their homes, but the Government had made it clear during the pandemic that “we are not going to have gardaí going into peoples’ homes”.
If those quarantining could not “present themselves” to prove they were at home a prosecution could then be taken, Minister McEntee said, but it was hoped that legal proceedings would not be necessary.
Those who did not present themselves could face a fine of up to €2,500 and six months in prison.
Details
Minister McEntee said “a certain amount of people would receive a follow-up call from An Garda Síochána”, though it was not possible for everyone to.
While the full details were still being worked on, gardaí would have access to contact details provided by those landing in the State on their passenger locator forms, she added.
The Minister said she had spoken to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris about the matter.
Separately, a number of senior Garda personnel have said they expect it could be several weeks or more before legislation required to implement the new travel measures is put in place.
It comes as Garda unions have expressed concerned at how the new measures surrounding mandatory quarantines will be policed.
The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors's general secretary Antoinette Cunningham said earlier on Wednesday that the group had received no instructions and had not been consulted about what approach to take.
She added that it saw “very serious operational and logistical challenges” in policing the new measures.
“We haven’t had any conversations without our own Garda organisation. You can appreciate, it’s very disconcerting for gardaí to be hearing that they’re going to be asked to do more when we’re already working 12 hour shifts,” she said.
Border travel
Meanwhile, there is also set to be a clampdown on non-essential cross-Border travel to stop people using ports and airports in Northern Ireland to enter the Republic.
The issue of people travelling over the Border was “challenging” and politicians North and South and the PSNI and Garda were in contact on the matter, Minister McEntee said.
The vast majority of people found to be travelling without an essential reason and asked to turn around were complying, she added.
The assistant general secretary of the Garda Representative Association, Dermot O’Brien, said earlier on Wednesday that gardaí were seeking a clear plan for policing the Border as it was an “unrealistic expectation” to police the 300 plus border crossings.
Too often the Government announced measures without considering the practicalities, he said.
Mr O’Brien also called for gardaí to be vaccinated if they were going to police quarantine measures and be in regular contact with those arriving from abroad.
