Passengers who arrive into Ireland may have to book a slot in a limited number of mandatory hotel quarantine places.
Under the proposals, there will be a certain number of slots available in mandatory quarantine. Government officials have considered what to do with so-called “hard cases” if a backlog of demand builds up, similar to other countries that have such a regime in place.
According to The Irish Times, talks are ongoing to examine whether certain passengers could be prioritised to use the system, such as people coming home to care for a dying relative, people with limited life expectancy or travelling healthcare workers.
Senior officials are finalising legislation for the new regime which will see certain passengers ordered to stay in a hotel room for up to 14 days.
The mandatory quarantine at a designated facility will apply to all passengers from South Africa and Brazil, while other countries are likely to be added.
Senior Government sources said that a general quarantine requirement for travellers from all destinations could also be introduced once the system is up and running.
The legislation, which was first announced by the Government two weeks ago, is expected to be brought to Cabinet next Tuesday and debated by the Dáil in the following days.
