Cork man says trip to Tenerife while in receipt of PUP was a 'no-brainer'

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A Cork man who is currently on an extended holiday in the Canary Islands has said the decision to travel over earlier this year was a "no-brainer".

Dean, who works in construction, initially flew to Tenerife for one week but has been extending his stay as he goes while he waits for work to resume.

He told The Neil Prendeville Show on Cork’s RedFM that he didn't encounter any issues when making his journey from Cork.

Before travelling, Dean took a Covid-19 test which he said was required by Ryanair. He was travelling alone as he has friends who are already in Tenerife.

The minibus Dean was travelling to the airport in was waved through a checkpoint and although Gardaí were stationed at the point where you scan your boarding pass, he wasn't questioned or stopped. 

However, he did say that other people who were travelling were asked what the purpose of their trip was.

"I caught up with some folks and they told me that they told the Gardaí that they were going on holiday and that was it. No problem."

Dean said he spoke with one man who has been travelling back and forth between Ireland and Tenerife every couple of weeks to conduct business and see his family.

According to Dean, this man was pulled aside by Gardaí and his passport details were taken. He was informed that he may receive a fine of €500 on his return.

Gardaí can issue a fixed penalty notice of €500 for travelling to a port or airport without a reasonable excuse while the penalty for non-essential travel increased from €500 to €2,000 earlier this month.

Dean said that while he feels sorry for the people in Ireland who are going about their lives under the current public health guidelines, his decision to travel was a "no-brainer" for him.

"Why would I stay at home and listen to the Government constantly instilling fear into people's lives through lies and manipulation when I can be over here living off my well-earned Covid money?"

Responding to concerns that many people might be angry that he is on a holiday for the past seven weeks while in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, Dean said he would be working if he could.

I've had an over-average income for a long time, I'm in various businesses, I've paid an awful lot of tax. I wasn't willing to shut down my business. I'm willing to work. The Government made a decision to shut us down.

"I am well entitled to recoup some of my losses through loss of earnings based on the Government decision to shut the economy down."

With the construction sector hopefully reopening next month, Dean said he will be returning home in the next few days. He said he will be getting a test before travelling and will quarantine and follow all the relevant rules when he returns.

As for life over in Tenerife, Dean said that tourism is significantly down with many of the larger resorts remaining closed. He said the majority of tourists appear to be from England with some Irish people.

Despite the downturn in tourism, Dean said the beach he was speaking from was quite busy and he wasn't able to get a parking space.

Pubs and restaurants are open with a 1.5m social distancing rule in place but there is a curfew of 10pm when everyone must be indoors. The curfew had been 11pm but this was brought forward from today.

The wearing of masks is mandatory at all times even when walking around outside or in the gym.

"Most people have it down under their chin but the minute you see police coming towards you the mask goes up quickly and the soon as they're out of sight the mask comes back down again."

While many may take issue with Dean's decision to go on his extended holiday, he firmly believes that most people would do the same thing if they could.