Gardaí given enhanced powers to call to homes and monitor quarantining

Under these regulations, passengers who arrive from any destination must quarantine for 14 days at the address specified on their Passenger Locator Form, with penalties for non-compliance. 

These penalties are a fine of up to €2,500 or 6 months in prison, or both.

Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD, said: “All travellers into the country must now adhere to staying at home and enforcement will be a matter for An Garda Síochána. 

“Further work on additional legislation to implement mandatory quarantine at a designated facility for those arriving from countries with variants of concern, such as Brazil and South Africa is being progressed and will be implemented as soon as possible.”

The Minister for Health will now also have the power to designate countries from which travel represents a public health risk due to the presence of variants of concern. 

These states are classified as "category 2" states and additional travel restrictions will apply on travellers arriving from them. 

There are no exemptions for arrivals from category 2 states to break quarantine, except for emergency reasons - for example, a person who travels to the State for unavoidable, imperative and time-sensitive medical reasons.

Currently, only Brazil and South Africa are categorised as such. 

Travellers from these areas must observe the full period of isolation.

Meanwhile, 75 further deaths from Covid-19 were confirmed this evening by the Department of Health.

1,318 new cases of the virus were also confirmed bringing the total number of cases her seen since the pandemic began to 200,744.