Ireland Extends Third Lockdown, Adds Travel Quarantines

Dublin, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Jan, 2021 ) :Ireland will extend its third coronavirus lockdown until March 5 and enact mandatory travel quarantines for the first time, Prime Minister Micheal Martin said Tuesday.

"The message to people for the next six weeks is very simple -- stay at home, do not travel," he told reporters.

"Government has decided to extend all of the current ... restrictions until 5th March with a view to crushing the numbers of those contracting the disease." Schools, non-essential shops, and restaurants are all to remain closed, extending measures in place throughout January across the nation which has suffered 2,977 virus deaths to date.

Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar added that "with some exceptions anyone entering the state from overseas will be subject to mandatory quarantine".

In most cases arrivals will have to quarantine at home but "it will be mandatory, not advisory for the first time" since the government started enacting pandemic restrictions, Varadkar said.

All travellers to the Republic from Brazil and South Africa will be required to undertake a mandatory quarantine at designated facilities, according to Martin.

Those who fail to produce a negative virus test valid from the past 72 hours will also enter mandatory hotel quarantines, and Martin cancelled short term visa-free travel from South Africa and South America until "at least" March 5.

For the first time, the new restrictions are designed to govern travel through all ports and airports on the island of Ireland -- including those in the British province of Northern Ireland.

Martin also said police would step up checkpoints near ports and airports to enforce an ongoing five-kilometre (three-mile) limit on non-essential travel.

After navigating two waves of Covid-19 with relatively low case and death rates, Ireland suffered the highest rate of infection in the world at points in early and mid January, according to Oxford University.

"We still have very high numbers of people in our hospitals and in intensive care -- too high," said Martin.

"We simply must reduce the number of people needing these services."