Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation
Dail Éireann — 2021-01-28
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Leo Varadkar (FG), Dublin West

As the Deputy will know, we now require that anybody entering the State to have a negative PCR test. If people do not have such a test, they are subject to mandatory hotel quarantine. We are examining a change which would result in a requirement for two tests, five days apart. This is recommended by NPHET and we are giving it full consideration. We will make a decision in that regard quite soon. This is the model used in Iceland where two tests are required, five days apart, with quarantine in between. That may well be where we go.
I will ask the Deputy to do something for us. Sinn Féin is in government on this island and there are two things it can do to help. Sinn Féin co-chairs the Government in Northern Ireland. It is not now the case that people arriving in Belfast have to have a negative PCR test, let alone two. I ask the Deputy to use his influence as a member of the leadership of Sinn Féin to have mandatory PCR testing introduced for people arriving into Belfast in addition to quarantine for those who do not have such a test. I also ask the Deputy to use his influence to put a stop-----

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2021-01-28/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:49:00+00:00
Sitting date: 2021-01-28