Search icon

News

25th Jan 2021

Eamon Ryan flags the introduction of tougher sanctions for breaching the 5km travel limit

Rudi Kinsella

5k fine ireland

He said the Government will take a “tougher, stricter and more wary” approach to travel.

Eamon Ryan has said that tougher sanctions on the 5km travel limit may be introduced, among other stricter travel restrictions in Ireland

He said the Government has to “tighten up” on flights, and believes mandatory quarantine for travellers from certain countries is the right thing to do amidst the emergence of new variants of Covid-19.

Ryan also said that tougher sanctions on the 5km travel limit may be introduced, as well as strengthening the follow up on passenger location forms, and stopping the issue of short-term visas.

Speaking on Today With Claire Byrne on RTE Radio One on Monday morning, Ryan said that he believes Ireland will introduce a mandatory hotel quarantine situation, saying: “We do deserve to be protected. Our healthcare workers need to be protected.

“We have to tighten up because I think our public are, they need to have a sense that we are able to control this to the best of our ability.”

However, he warned that there is no “silver bullet” to solve the problem and a multi-layered approach is needed.

On Sunday evening, Northern Ireland’s Department of Health released a statement rejecting “misleading commentary” by Taoiseach Micheál Martin in relation to new variants of Covid-19.