merrion street

The booking portal for mandatory hotel quarantine is now live. The portal is available to access at www.gov.ie/quarantine.

All passengers arriving into Ireland from designated States after 04.00 on the morning of Friday, 26 March are now required to pre-book accommodation in a designated quarantine facility, and to pre-pay for their stay.

The first facility that will be available to receive arriving travellers is the Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport Hotel in Santry.

The well-established Tifco Hotel Group have been appointed as the service provider to assist the State in delivering mandatory hotel quarantine.

Additional hotels from the group will be added as required to support the State in implementing this important public health measure.

Tifco Hotel Group will provide full board accommodation services to guests in facilities designated exclusively for the purpose of quarantine. 

In addition, the service provider will provide ground transportation and security services, as well as health and wellbeing services for travellers, within their facilities.

All passengers travelling to Ireland from designated States, including those who have transited through a port or airport in a designated State, even if they stay airside or portside, in the 14 days prior to their arrival in Ireland, must enter mandatory hotel quarantine.

This applies to all passengers who have been in, or transitioned through a designated State, regardless of nationality. The aim of this measure is to protect the population when there is a high risk of importation of infection from COVID-19 and from challenges posed by new variants of concern.

You must also enter mandatory hotel quarantine if, regardless of which country you arrive from (designated and non-designated states), you do not provide evidence that you 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 you arrive into Ireland.

More information is available on www.gov.ie./quarantine.  

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITOR

What hotels will be used for day one of mandatory hotel quarantine?

Tifco Hotel Group will be responsible for ensuring designated facilities are available for the provision of mandatory quarantine. 

What will the cost per traveller be?

How many rooms are available to the State on day one?

Tifco Hotel Group will make rooms available as required. Those who must enter mandatory hotel quarantine must book in advance of their arrival into Ireland on www.gov.ie/quarantine

How will passengers get from their port of entry to the hotel?

Tifco Hotel Group will be responsible for providing ground transportation for travellers from their point of entry to the designated facility. The Irish Defence Forces will oversee this process.

Will the hotel be hosting other travellers or guests while acting as a mandatory quarantine location?

No, the facilities are for the exclusive use of those travellers completing mandatory quarantine. 

What supports are available to guests completing mandatory hotel quarantine?

Tifco Hotel Group will make a range of health and wellbeing supports available to guests. The HSE will undertake testing for COVID-19 and a separate healthcare provider will undertake an assessment of each guest and develop appropriate care plans where needed at each facility. They will also conduct regular wellbeing check-ins.

Will the hotel provide specific training for staff on dealing with passengers?

Yes, the hotel training programmes, and operating procedures have been updated in line with the HSE COVID-19 infection prevention control (IPC) guidelines. Additionally, the Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport hotel is Fáilte Ireland Safety Charter certified. Any additional training required will be completed prior to 22 March.

Tifco Hotel Group have also provided detailed procedures for their staff in checking in, checking out, facilitating outside breaks and accommodating guests in the Mandatory Hotel Quarantining System.

Has the hotel factored in guests with specific medical or social needs?

A healthcare provider will undertake an assessment of each guest and develop appropriate care plans where needed at each facility. They will also conduct regular wellbeing check-ins.

Has the hotel provided accessibility for wheelchair users?

Yes.

Has the hotel designed menus with dietary requirements in mind?

Yes.

How much choice does the guest have with their mealtimes and exercise regimes? 

The hotel will operate an in-room dining service only where meals will be delivered directly to the guest’s door. A comprehensive in-room dining menu has been developed for all mealtimes. Guests may also purchase any additional food and beverage requirements from the room service menu.

Guests are encouraged to engage in exercise and mobility when possible throughout their stay. An online exercise programme has been developed, additionally guests will have access to an outdoor area within the hotel grounds. In-line with infection prevention control (IPC) guidelines, guests must pre- book times to access this facility.

What are the pathways in place for issues around disruption or anti-social behaviour in these facilities?

In addition to the Defence Forces State Liaison Officer, Tifco Hotel Group will have a PSA licensed security contractor at each facility. An Garda Síochána are available as a point of escalation in response to any such incidents. 

Will the guests have the option to purchase in-room entertainment or additional food, or are these provided? 

Yes, the full range of the hotel’s in-room services will be available to guests, including free WiFi, the in-room entertainment system and room service menus. The movie package available within the in-room TV entertainment system has been included as part of the accommodation package for guests quarantining at the hotel.

What happens in the event of a fire safety evacuation of a designated facility for quarantine?

In the unlikely event of evacuation, the hotel’s fire/ emergency evacuation systems and procedures will be followed in full. Guests will be required to maintain social distancing and wear face masks and assemble in a socially distance manner at the fire assembly point.

Do I, or my family, have to enter mandatory quarantine?

Mandatory quarantine applies to all passengers travelling from, or transiting through, designated States, regardless of nationality as well as passengers who arrive from any location not in receipt of a negative/not-detected result from a RT-PCR test taken 72 hours prior to their arrival in Ireland. The aim of mandatory quarantine is to protect the population from challenges posed by new variants of concern.

What are the arrangements for exercise/fresh air?

Designated fresh air breaks will be accommodated at the hotel. A designated safe and secure space for fresh air breaks will be available at the hotel. These breaks should be booked in advance. The hotel will endeavour to accommodate guests at their preferred time. 

At the requested time, a Security person will knock on the guests door and escort them to the designated area. All outdoor areas are monitored. Security will escort guests back to their bedroom after their break. In order to protect other guests and the hotel team, a fresh air break will only be permitted after you have received a negative Day 0 PCR test.

The possibilities for exercise/fresh air breaks may differ from one facility to another.

Will a suite or family room be available to my family?

Yes, the hotels will endeavour to ensure family groups can stay in family rooms or adjoining rooms. If you have any additional requirements, you should contact the hotel directly.

Is there an appeals/waivers process for Mandatory Hotel Quarantining?

The provisions of the Health (Amendment) Bill 2021, published on Friday, 19 February, allow for travellers to appeal decisions relating to their quarantine, provisions for leaving quarantine under exceptional circumstances (such as medical emergencies or for humanitarian reasons), and the special provisions which will allow those seeking international protection or unaccompanied minors to undertake their quarantine in appropriate circumstances.

What happens if I arrive by ferry in a vehicle?

Please note that if arriving into Ireland by vehicle via a seaport (with the exception of exempted drivers of a heavy goods vehicles) you will be required to park your vehicle at the port before you are transported to the designated quarantine facility.

Can my pets quarantine with me?

Members of the public qualifying for mandatory quarantine are advised that they should not bring pets into the country during this time. The quarantine facility will not be in a position to accommodate them, with the exception of guide dogs, pets will be placed in commercial kennels/catteries whilst the owner is in mandatory quarantine. The full cost of transport and housing during this time will be payable by the pet owner.

Were the chosen hotels reviewed to ensure the ventilation is sufficient to prevent airborne transmission between rooms?

Tifco Hotel Group have implemented all measures related to ensuring the safe operation of ventilation and air conditioning systems fully in line with the Fáilte Ireland Guidelines for the Re-opening of Hotels and Guesthouses. The hotel’s Ventilation Engineers have confirmed that there is no circulation of air between rooms.

What was the criteria the hotel providers were required to meet in order to be considered for the contract? 

Given the necessity to establish the mandatory quarantine services in an expedited timeframe, an initial scoping exercise was conducted, involving a number of market operators. These initial proposals were reviewed based on the capability to deliver the broad suite of services involved, capacity to deliver in an expedited timescale, and the proposed cost models.

Why was Tifco considered to be the best candidate for hotel quarantining?

The contract was awarded to Tifco based on their capability to deliver the broad suite of services involved, their capacity to deliver in an expedited timescale, and, their proposed cost model.

How much has this whole system cost the State to date?

Costs will accrue once the system has become operational.

What happens to unaccompanied minors?

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.
• - Any unaccompanied minor who requires state care will be taken into the care of Túsla and complete their mandatory quarantine at a separate facility.

What happens to people who arrive to Ireland seeking sanctuary?

The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth will ensure that those seeking sanctuary in Ireland complete quarantine at an appropriate facility.

If a passenger, who needs to travel to Ireland, finds themselves in financial difficulty or unable to make a mandatory quarantine booking what should they do?

All travellers are required to pay for their mandatory quarantine. Any Irish citizen who finds themselves in difficulty abroad should in the first instance contact the local Irish Embassy for advice.