Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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2082. To ask the Minister for Health the manner in which variants of concern are detected as an issue in the context of differing levels of sequencing across the EU; if all EU states have equal or comparable capacity for sequencing and detecting variants of concern; if not, the way the strategy for identifying designated states accounts for variation in this capacity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19772/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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At present, the National Virus Reference Laboratory and partners undertake Whole Genome Sequencing on a proportion of all confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ireland, currently approximately 20% all COVID-19 cases nationally each week (approximately 1,000 samples per week).

Sequencing of all positive samples from travellers arriving in Ireland from a designated country is now undertaken. The aim is to use whole genome sequencing to inform and enhance the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Countries are designated under the Health Act 1947 by the Minister for Health following consultation with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and across Government as necessary. An Expert Advisory Group on Travel to the CMO (EAGT) was established on 1 March 2021 to develop a method of risk assessing countries and to consider broader issues of travel and COVID-19. In making recommendations the EAGT considers data published by HPSC, WHO and ECDC among a range of other sources. The Chief Medical Officer considers EAGT recommendations and in turn makes recommendations to the Minister for Health who decides designation of individual states.

Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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2083. To ask the Minister for Health if there is a contingency for Irish citizens (details supplied) who are returning to Ireland from the USA and have to go through the two week hotel quarantine but do not have the means to pay the €2,000 fee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19780/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Health Act 1947, as amended, provides that all persons arriving in Ireland from a designated state, or having travelled through a designated state in the previous 14 days, are required to undergo mandatory quarantine in a designated facility unless they are an exempted traveller under the Act. All applicable travellers must reserve and pay for a place in mandatory hotel quarantine.

Mandatory hotel quarantine is also necessary in circumstances where passengers coming from non-designated states do not provide evidence that they have a negative or ‘not detected’ result from a COVID-19 Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test carried out no more than 72 hours before arrival into Ireland.

The Act identifies those who are exempt from mandatory hotel quarantine and a full list of exemptions can be accessed on gov.ie/quarantine.

Unaccompanied minors arriving in to the State who have travelled from or through a designated state in the 14 days prior to arrival in Ireland will not be permitted to enter a mandatory quarantine facility alone.

Either, their adult guardian can enter mandatory hotel quarantine with them; or if this is not possible their guardian must sign a written undertaking to ensure the child will adhere to quarantine rules under their care at home or in a boarding school.

As of 17th April, travellers who are fully vaccinated and have documents to prove their vaccination are exempt from completing mandatory hotel quarantine. Fully vaccinated travellers are still required to have a negative pre-departure RT-PCR test and complete a period of self-quarantine at home or wherever specified in their passenger locator form.

The following table outlines the definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ in order to qualify for an exemption.

The Government continues to evaluate wider policy on international travel as informed by the epidemiological situation and public health advice, including the possibility of future exemptions.

The provisions of the Act also allows for travellers to request a review of decisions relating to their quarantine; however this can only be undertaken once quarantine has begun.

All guests are responsible for the full cost of their stay in a quarantine facility, including their initial booking as well as any additional costs which might be incurred.

It should be noted that in some limited and exceptional cases, such as emergency repatriation of a citizen, a deferral on the requirement to pre-pay for quarantine while booking may be granted by the Department of Foreign Affairs. This deferral does not remove the responsibility of such guests to pay for the full cost of their quarantine in a designated facility.

Additionally, I understand that my colleague the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is establishing a refund mechanism for students returning from Erasmus programmes who are required to undergo mandatory quarantine in a designated facility.

Neither I as Minister for Health nor my Department have a role in decisions relating to whether individual persons must enter mandatory quarantine or whether individual persons are exempted travellers.