Two passengers who approached High Court challenging the legality of law are allowed to leave hotel quarantine; Ireland’s mandatory quarantine law failed to materialize?
DUBLIN: It seems that Ireland’s mandatory hotel quarantine rule, which was introduced with high expectations by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, has failed to materialize. The two passengers who approached the High Court challenging the legality of the law have been released from their hotel quarantine. It is alleged that they were released due to flaws in the legislation and the failure of those in charge of the proceedings.
The issue was believed to be that the two were being kept in mandatory hotel quarantine despite having a negative COVID-19 certificate and having received full vaccination. Both travellers from Israel were admitted to the quarantine because their names were on the Category Two lists. Those involved were reluctant to even consider allowing one of them to visit his dying father in Dublin.
If there had been humanitarian considerations and rational thinking, Israeli health activist Inbar Aviezer and Dublin native Derek Jennings may have been released. In that case, Ireland could have escaped the High Court’s intervention and embarrassment. And also there would have been no need to rush Israel out of Category Two in the face of High Court intervention.
The High Court is set to hear the case of an Israeli health worker today, questioning the legitimacy of his detention. Meanwhile, Israel was excluded from Ireland’s category two list. There are indications that Inbar Aviezer was released following high-level interventions.
Indications that they were released for fear of High Court intervention
The government released them from the hotel while awaiting a favorable order from the High Court. Aviezer was fully vaccinated before arriving in Ireland, and he got a COVID-19 certificate that was negative both times. However, they were forced to quarantine on the grounds that they were included in category two list. They came to the court stating that they were being detained illegally. Aviezer, who is a citizen of Switzerland, the US and Israel, came here in connection with a new job in the health sector. She stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, which is located near Dublin Airport.
Another man released from the quarantine was Derek Jennings (47), who stayed in Crowne Plaza. Mr. Jennings, a Clondalkin native, had been working in Israel since February. He was trapped in the hotel quarantine when he went to visit his dying father on Friday. Mr. Jennings, who is happy with his release said: “I just think there needs to be a little bit more logical, open mindedness about the situation here.”
His father, a native of Dublin, was in critical condition. Jennings was sent to quarantine despite being aware of his condition. He then went to the high court seeking his release. He was fully vaccinated and had a COVID-19 negative certificate. The lawyers also informed the court that his father was in critical condition.
List of high-risk countries updated; 16 countries included
Israel was on the red list until Friday. But Israel, Albania and Saint Lucia were removed from the list on Friday. Ireland added 16 new countries, including the US, France, Belgium and Italy. Other countries included in the list are: Bangladesh, Kenya, Luxembourg, Pakistan, Turkey, Canada, Armenia, Bermuda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Curacao, Maldives and Ukraine.
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