Healthcare worker fully vaccinated against Covid-19 says mandatory quarantine system is 'absurd'

Inbar Aviezer in hotel quarantine at the Holiday Inn Express in Dublin. 

A woman from Israel is currently subject to Ireland's mandatory hotel quarantine system, despite being fully vaccinated against Covid-19. 

Inbar Aviezer, a healthcare worker, said the quarantine system makes no sense and is "absurd". 

Ms Aviezer arrived at Dublin Airport yesterday morning from Israel via Frankfurt, Germany, at 11.30am with a negative PCR test and the recipient of two Pfizer vaccine doses. 

She was informed she would need to enter the mandatory hotel quarantine system by immigration officials and was taken aside, along with an Austrian family. 

She said no one knew what was happening at the airport and she "was met with utter confusion".

I hadn’t eaten all day and was unable to leave this holding pen to purchase food at the airport. With the bus to bring me to the Covid hotel promised every 15 minutes but not showing up for several hours." 

She said the group's arrival at the Holiday Inn Express at Dublin Airport at about 3.30pm was disorganised and described the hotel lobby as a "mess", with little social distancing.

"It was unpleasant. It was unpleasant while coming to Ireland, to be honest. It was a contradiction to what I've known so far of people, usually very friendly, with no problem at all and would welcome you," she said. 

Last week, on April 1, the Government added Israel, the world leader in vaccinations, to the list of states that required mandatory hotel quarantine for arrivals.

The expansion included 25 other states with the regulations in effect from 4am on Tuesday, April 6. Ms Avezier said she did not know Israel had been added to the list. 

Appeal unsuccessful

She said an appeal lodged with the State Liason Officer to exit the system was unsuccessful, despite her vaccination status and reasons for travel being work in the healthcare sector.

She is also still waiting for her first Covid-19 test upon entry to the system and hopes a second negative test 10 days later will allow her to leave before the 14-day mandatory period. 

"I've asked at the airport, the gardaí, when and how can I get out faster, and they didn't know and they didn't have the answer," she said. 

Ms Aviezer said she was fortunate her employer was able to pay for her mandatory stay but said other travellers who did not know about the mandatory system could be hit by the unexpected cost. 

I just think it's absurd. Yes, I'm coming from Israel, most of the population is vaccinated, we're almost back to normal but yet when I come here I need to quarantine for 14 days. 

"And I think that Irish people around me are causing more harm because I'm vaccinated and I have a negative PCR test result so something here does not make sense. 

"As more and more people and countries are getting vaccinated, I think it has to be not according to where you come from but according to your medical history and whether you have been vaccinated or not," she said.