Politicians need to take ‘peace process’ approach to ending pandemic across the island – Scally

Health experts also called for a mandatory 14-day quarantine for incoming travellers to stop the spread of new strains of the virus.

The North and Republic must harmonise Covid-19 response. Two approaches to coronavirus testing and contact tracing are dangerously incompatible, says Dr Gabriel Scally. File Picture: Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie

Politicians north and south of the border should set aside their “prejudices” as their predecessors did to secure the peace process, leading public health expert Professor Gabriel Scally has said.

The professor of public health said he was “extraordinarily disappointed” with politicians for failing to grasp the opportunity to take an all-island approach to containing Covid-19.

The Belfast-born medic, who carried out a review into the CervicalCheck screening programme, told a webinar hosted by the Independent Scientific Advocacy Group (ISAG) that the current Covid-19 memorandum of understanding between both jurisdictions was “tissue paper” and hadn’t delivered anything.

Dr Scally appealed to politicians, north and south, to lay aside their “prejudices and party political interests” to bring the pandemic under control through an all-island approach.

Politicians, he said, had overcome the impossible in the past to deliver the peace process and could do the same again.

“They say it’s impossible but they never say why it’s impossible. They are the people who make it possible or impossible,” Professor Scally said.

I say to those politicians, very senior politicians, for whom I have had great respect, I’m so glad they weren’t around at the time of the peace process.

“It happened because you had politicians who had vision and determination and saw that it was possible to bring the Troubles to an end and they did it. And it is possible to bring this pandemic to an end on this island but it requires politicians of similar calibre, drive and intelligence to take it forward,” he added.

The ISAG seminar also heard calls for mandatory 14-day quarantine for incoming international travellers to prevent new cases or variants of the virus being imported.

Current requirements for a negative Covid test prior to travel did not go far enough and could miss cases.

"Should those that arrive to Ireland from abroad be required to quarantine in a hotel?"

Yes: 90% (+15)
No: 7% (-11)
Don't Know: 2% (-3)

Nationally representative sample of 1,247 conducted on January 16th, 2021.

(Comparison with November [Yes 75.5, No 18.75, DK 5.75]) pic.twitter.com/RayZHy9t6J

— Ireland Thinks (@ireland_thinks) January 18, 2021

At the height of the first Covid-19 wave and lockdown, just over 16,000 people arrived into Ireland by air or sea in April last year, suggesting the scale of 'essential' travel was low and there is no shortage of hotel rooms available, the seminar heard.

Public support for mandatory quarantine had also increased from 76% in November to 90% in January, according to opinion polls by Ireland Thinks.

The country, Professor Scally said, must act now to get ahead of the virus: “We need to do three things. Get it down, keep it down, and keep it out”.

“There is no time to lose. We should act immediately to stop flights and to put the toughest quarantine regimes in place as soon as we can,” he said, noting that the “voluntary” travel rules had not been effective to date.