Dublin Airport ‘ready to go’ for Covid testing but Taoiseach says it’s unwise use of resources
THE Government has been criticised for failing to bring in a Covid-19 testing system for international travel despite the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) saying it has teams “ready to go”.
Labour TD Duncan Smith described the situation as “incredible” at a time when aviation workers’ jobs are “hanging by a thread”, as airline and airport chiefs appeared at the Oireachtas Transport Committee.
Speaking in the Dáil, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said public health authorities had cautioned that testing at airports “would not be the wisest use of resources”, including the contact-tracing system.
“They have fears about that, and that it could lead to multiple false trails driving huge numbers,” he said.
Chief executives from Ryanair, Aer Lingus, the DAA and Shannon Group all called on the Government to fully adopt a proposed EU ‘traffic light’ system for international travel as they outlined the devastating impact of the pandemic.
The airlines argued that there should be no restrictions on travel from countries deemed to be ‘green’ and ‘amber’ in the new travel regime. Passengers from ‘red’ countries would face restrictions like testing.
Earlier, Transport Minister Eamon Ryan admitted Ireland’s existing Green List and 14-day rule for restrictions on air passengers were “not working” and that the Government had to change its approach.
Just four countries – Cyprus, Finland, Latvia and Liechtenstein – remain on the list, which is expected to be reduced further when it is reviewed today.
Mr Ryan said it was the Government’s intention to “broadly support” the European Commission’s proposals.
A decision on the EU plan is due to be made by member states on October 13, although junior minister Hildegarde Naughton offered no date for testing be introduced here when pressed on the issue.
Aer Lingus chief executive Seán Doyle welcomed a change in approach to international travel signalled by the Government, but said: “So far it is not being delivered.”
He raised concern that Ireland will be “nowhere near close” to the full adoption of the EU plan on October 13, based on what he heard from the ministers.
Ryanair chief executive Eddie Wilson said the Government should “champion” the EU plan and adopt its proposed measures now. He claimed the Government’s aviation policy had been “catastrophic”, given the more restrictive regime here compared with the rest of Europe.
DAA boss Dalton Philips said his organisation had proposals for pre-departure PCR testing at Dublin and Cork airports by mid-October, with capability to deliver up to 15,000 tests per day without affecting the public health system.
He said: “We’ve got capacity to do it. We’ve got teams ready and we believe that PCR [the most common Covid test] is not the ideal solution but it’s a start.”
Mr Doyle said Aer Lingus has been calling for a testing regime for three months and the industry is “ready and waiting”. He added: “We just need Government will to unblock this.”
Labour TD Mr Smith said: “It seems incredible to me that we do have capacity and teams ready but the Government haven’t pushed forward on this.”