Covid-19: Risks with foreign travel are 'very high', warns Holohan

Dr Tony Holohan: 'The risk that exists around foreign travel is very substantial. The risk of contracting this virus in this country without flying anywhere is very high.' Picture: Julien Behal

Chief medical officer Tony Holohan will express his concern at the “very high risk” associated with foreign travel when he appears before the Oireachtas transport committee today.

TDs and senators will hear from both Dr Holohan and Eamon Ryan, the transport minister, in relation to the proposed Europe-wide traffic light system.

While the Government is keen to move to the co-ordinated system to allow travel recommence, the country’s medical advisers are clear they are not recommending any non-essential travel out of the country.

“If you look at the European context, if you look at the North American context, the scale of this virus is really quite worrying and I am being diplomatic when I say that. 

"We are about mid-table in the list of European countries, and it is a rapidly deteriorating situation,” Dr Holohan said.

Explaining his concern, Dr Holohan is likely to cite from a recent report from the European Centre for Disease Control which said movement around Europe for any reason is seriously challenged.

While he said adopting the traffic-light system is a decision for the Government to make, Dr Holohan is likely to say the risks around travel are “very, very high”.

“There is no country left on this green list as things stand — that was not the case two months ago,” he said. 

"The risk that exists around foreign travel is very substantial. The risk of contracting this virus in this country without flying anywhere is very high."

In recent days, Dr Holohan, as the chair of the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet), said he rejected recent criticism from the airlines who have argued the restrictions are not based on science and are too onerous.

Dr Holohan is likely to say that Nphet has yet to give any express consideration to people travelling home for Christmas.

“Our advice is around the risks. The risk involved in non-essential travel outside this country is simply too high. The portion of cases related to international travel in Ireland is very, very small,” he said.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, committee chairman and Fine Gael TD for Limerick, Kieran O’Donnell, said that central to the committee’s discussions with Dr Holohan will be the potential for Covid-19 testing at airports, and Hiqa’s recently-published report into rapid testing.

“November 8 and the date for the introduction of the new EU air traffic light system is less than a week away now, and in light of 140,000 jobs across the country, and thousands more in the tourism sector at stake due to the aviation crisis, the perspective of Dr Holohan and also the Minister for Transport regarding this issue will be timely,” he said.