O’Leary also described 14-day quarantine measures as “unimplementable” and “unnecessary”.
Michael O’Leary has called on the Irish government to scrap measures which require people arriving into the country to quarantine for a 14-day period.
While there are exceptions to the rule requiring visitors to the UK to quarantine for 14 days, people arriving into Ireland from any other country, including Irish citizens returning home, are advised of the need to self-isolate for a 14-day period and to completely avoid contact with other people.
Earlier this week, Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan told a Dáil committee on Covid-19 that he couldn’t give a commitment on when the measures would be lifted, noting that the public health advice was to “try and ensure that we limit travel from overseas”.
The measures have been criticised by Ryanair Group CEO Michael O’Leary, who described them as unexplainable, ineffective and unimplementable” as well as “unnecessary”, instead advocating the wearing of face masks and of social distancing while travelling.
“14-day quarantines are ineffective and unimplementable,” O’Leary said.
“Requiring international arrivals to quarantine only after they have used multiple public transport providers to get from the airport to their ultimate destination has no basis in science or medicine.
“We strongly urge Europe’s Governments, especially those in Ireland and the UK, to mandate to the wearing of face masks for airline, train and (London) underground passengers, as this is the best and most effective way to limit the spread of Covid-19 in public transport environments where social distancing is not possible.”
“We welcome the European Union’s recommendation on face masks, and call again on the Irish and UK Government to abandon their unexplainable, ineffective, and unimplementable quarantine restrictions,” O’Leary added.
“Europe’s citizens can travel safely on their summer holidays wearing face masks and observing temperature protocols, but 14-day quarantines have no scientific basis, are unimplementable and unnecessary in circumstances where airline, train and underground passengers wear face masks where social distancing isn’t possible.”
O’Leary was responding to the issuing of new EU guidelines on aviation health safety protocol this week, which recommend physical distancing at airports and the wearing of medical face masks at all times and include guidelines on thermal screenings of passengers.
The guidelines can be read in full here.
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