Quarantine holidaymakers and tourists to save lives

HAVING watched the very moving and shocking look inside Ireland’s Covid-19 hospitals by ‘RTÉ Investigates’, I was reduced to tears seeing the horrible trauma suffered by those who were unfortunate enough to succumb to the disease and the absolute commitment and dedication of our frontline workers in the incredible level of care and compassion they gave to their patients. They were often the only person allowed to be present as a patient drew their last breath.

Having witnessed this catastrophe, how could any one of us be so selfish as to holiday abroad and risk inflicting this horror on our loved ones or anyone else’s loved ones on our return?

Inward travel restrictions are to be reduced from July 9 including abolition of the 14-day self-quarantining period without even temperature or Covid-19 testing facilities being installed at our airports or seaports. What madness is this?

Why should the lives of our elderly and most vulnerable citizens be put at risk just to facilitate a fortnight’s holiday for some tourist who is just passing through and we might never see again? There must be something seriously out of balance here.

In the absence of testing there should be compulsory isolation introduced on public health grounds until an effective vaccine or treatment for Covid-19 is found.

I understand the economic arguments being expressed in relation to the damage to our tourism and aviation industries but further waves of Covid-19 with the consequential deaths and further lockdowns cannot be justified on this basis. Barry O’Shea

Ballinlough Road, Cork