The Minister for Health has told the Dáil that Ireland "will be in a better position to act quickly" if legislation is introduced to permit hotel quarantine if it is needed.
Stephen Donnelly was speaking during a debate over the Government's reintroduction of mandatory hotel quarantine legislation.
He said the bill is designed "to strengthen Ireland's ability to respond" to the Omicron variant of Covid-19. It strikes "a fair and proportionate response," the minister added, balancing public health and individual rights.
Ireland has one case of Omicron and "my expectation is we will be seeing more," he said. Travel restrictions already include a requirement from tomorrow for people travelling to this country to have to complete a