HSE should requisition hotels for use
Following the news mandatory hotel quarantine bookings have had to be paused due to lack of spaces, Paul Murphy TD has criticised the government for their ‘half-hearted and ham-fisted’ approach.
“Dublin is a city full of empty hotels, yet the government has completely failed to ensure there is enough capacity for hotel quarantine. This was an entirely avoidable problem with proper planning, but yet again the government has shown they do not take the issue of quarantine seriously. Their whole approach to quarantine has been half-hearted and ham-fisted. They resisted implementing it despite NPHET’s advice for close to a year and have failed to not put in place the measures needed for this to succeed. A proper quarantining system is a crucial part of crushing this virus and allowing people to get back to living.
“The state should immediately requisition the extra hotel capacity it needs to roll out a proper quarantining programme. There must also be proper human rights and workplace health and safety oversight of these facilities, to ensure corners are not being cut. This is a national emergency, not an opportunity for profiteering by hotel chains. “
