A cluster of over 20 Covid-19 cases broke out at the centre back in March.
The manager of the controversial Skellig Star Hotel Direct Provision Centre in Cahersiveen has left their position, it was confirmed this afternoon.
The hotel, which was opened in March as an emergency Direct Provision centre to accommodate social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic, saw an outbreak of over 25 cases of the virus in late March. Residents were transferred from multiple other centres, without testing, including from one hotel in Dublin where a confirmed case of Covid-19 had been identified in one visitor. The hotel in question was being used as both a Direct Provision Centre and a functioning hotel at the time.
JOE received reports from residents of the centre and locals in Cahersiveen yesterday evening that the manager had left.
The Department of Justice told JOE in a statement that "The employment details of staff at accommodation centres is a matter for the owners of those centres.
"We have been informed that a new, fully vetted manager is in place in the Skellig Star Hotel as of yesterday morning."
When contacted for comment by JOE, there was no member of the Skellig Star management team able to make any comment on the change in management.
Separately, one resident also told JOE that residents were told to use congregated settings for eating on Monday morning, despite this being contrary to public health advice. According to the resident, this was then resolved by the evening meal, where residents were allowed to take their meals to their rooms.
When this was raised by JOE at the Department of Health Covid-19 briefing yesterday evening, Dr. Siobhán Ní Bhriain of the HSE said that such an occurrence would be "unacceptable".
