Mandatory hotel quarantine expected to be enacted this week

The new quarantine system, announced in January, will see arrivals from 33 countries forced to stay at a hotel at their own expense for 14 days. Picture: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie

Mandatory hotel quarantine is expected to be enacted this week, more than two weeks after it was signed into law.

Any arrival who fails to adhere to the rules when arriving from certain countries will be fined €4,000 and face a possible month in prison.

The move was made to stop the spread of Covid-19 variants from countries such as Brazil and South Africa.

Minister of State Niall Collins says a single provider will run the entire process.

"It's my understanding that that's very close to coming into effect, possibly within a number of days, and discussions and negotiations have been taking place with a single end-to-end provider."

"In other words, one single operator will provide the entire service."

Fianna Fail TD Niall Collins said Gardaí will not be stationed at the hotels used for quarantining. 

"It's not as simple as limiting people's civil liberties when people come into the country, there will be a mandatory 14-day quarantine, all that goes with that in terms of providing accommodation, keeping people safe, and all of the regulation that goes with it, in terms of duty of care to people when they are in the quarantine system."

More than 34,400 people arrived in Ireland in the three week period after the Government signed-off on its hotel quarantine plan.

Gardaí will not be stationed at the hotels, Mr Collins confirmed, after pushback from gardaí and the Department of Justice.

"It's a private provider providing a quarantining service," Mr Collins said.

The Department of Defence and Defence Forces will provide planning and logistical support in terms of the operation of it, he added, but there may be involvement of An Garda Síochána if there's a breach of any law.

"I'm not party to the negotiation or drawing up the contract but the gardai would be involved in any alleged breach of the law or regulation or guidelines in the normal course of events."

Cabinet will meet on Tuesday to discuss mandatory quarantine as well as the loosening of the current Level 5 restrictions, with the resumption construction and the withdrawal of the 5km exercise limit flagged as the most likely to be announced on April 5.

"Everything has been watched closely. Everything will be considered in depth."

"The government and the cabinet Covid subcommittee will consult and will meet with NPHET, and will take on board the public health advice, which will be given in detail," Mr Collins said.

"At the same time government is cognizant that people are very weary, and that people are spun out, and that we have to try and offer people some type of relief from the current regime."

But, Mr Collins said, that has to be done in the best manner possible to try and achieve the balance in order to try and continue to suppress the virus in our community to protect our health services and to try and manage the situation in terms of schools and workplaces.