‘THOUSANDS BOOK ING JULY FLIGHTS’
Ryanair says Irish families are ignoring travel advice
RYANAIR has claimed that thousands of Irish families have booked holidays to Europe this summer despite Government advice to hold off travelling abroad in July.
The budget airline has said that Irish holidaymakers are booking flights in their droves to Portugal, Spain and Italy for as early as July and August.
Currently, the Government is advising that no non-essential foreign travel take place due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, travel agencies and airlines are growing increasingly frustrated over the economic impact that the restrictions are having.
And while the Government is considering easing travel restrictions by the end of the month, the Irish Travel Agents Association believes the restrictions should be immediately relaxed.
It stated that an earlier return to international travel is possible, provided all passengers obey strict social distancing and hygiene guidelines.
‘There is no basis for maintaining the advice against travel when every other industry is opening up in Ireland,’ said ITAA chief executive Pat Dawson. ‘The travel sector has been hit the hardest by the Covid-19 pandemic, and we are concerned that we will be the last industry to get a restart date.
‘This delay easing travel restrictions will further hurt our industry. The rest of the EU are looking at opening up their borders for international travel, but the Irish Government appear to be hesitating and causing a delay in returning to normal economic activity.’
In a strongly worded letter to Health Minister Simon Harris, Ryanair called on both the Government and NPHET to abandon the country’s ‘useless form-filling quarantine’ rules.
The airline was referring to the mandatory forms that visitors to Ireland will have to complete, stating where they will quarantine for 14 days.
‘Thousands of Irish families are booking holidays in Portugal, Spain and Italy during July and August,’ a spokesperson said. ‘However, Ireland’s hotels, tour operators, visitor attractions and restaurants are being unnecessarily damaged by this useless and ineffective visitor “quarantine”, which will deter
‘Our Government is hesitating’
European visitors during the peak travel months of July and August.’
Ryanair is calling on Minister Harris and NPHET to implement the scientific protocols published by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Both of these bodies do not recommend a quarantine for passengers after they travel.
‘Having managed the Covid-19 lockdown well, it is deeply regrettable that NPHET continues to mismanage the return to normality by being too cautious, and not following the well-established scientific advice being implemented by the rest of Europe,’ the Ryanair spokesperson added.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said the Government is considering easing travel restrictions by the end of the month. He warned, however, that no one should come to or leave Ireland for the purpose of tourism while the travel restrictions remain in place.
Speaking at a post-Cabinet press briefing in Dublin yesterday, he said this advice will be reviewed in two weeks’ time.
‘Several European countries have reopened their borders and resumed flights, we’re not going to do that yet,’ he said. ‘The decision here in Ireland is that travel restrictions remain in place.
‘Nobody should leave Ireland for the purpose of tourism and nobody should come to Ireland for the purpose of tourism or leisure.
‘If anyone is coming here for an essential journey, they are required to fill a passenger location form and are advised to self-isolate for 14 days. That is not going to change for now.
‘We will review the situation in two weeks’ time when we see how the situation has developed in other countries.’
Mr Varadkar added that people have the right as EU citizens to travel freely between the UK and Ireland, but stressed there is a public health emergency.
Describing it as an ‘unusual situation’, he said that in public health emergencies EU member states can make their own rules.
He added: ‘We want to be in a position to agree air bridges to allow travel between Ireland and other countries where the virus is also successfully suppressed but we think that Monday, June 15, is far too soon for us to do that. We are going to see what is possible and we will talk to our colleagues in the UK and the administration in Northern Ireland about the situation in two weeks... but our advice on travel remains the same.’
The Taoiseach also said that moving from two-metre social distancing to one-metre distancing is a risk but added: ‘It is not going to be as big a risk as it was two weeks ago because the number of cases are now so low.
‘We are looking at the issue in the round and seeing what the health implications will be for employment and in schools and so on.’
‘Our advice on travel is the same’