Early check-out Search for man who absconded from quarantine hotel continues after two returned to facility

One man was located last night and returned to the Crowne Plaza Hotel

The Crowne Plaza Hotel in Santry near Dublin Airport.

Neasa Cumiskey

March 28 2021 04:56 PM

Two of three people who left mandatory quarantine at a Dublin hotel without authorisation have returned.

The quarantining rules came into effect on Friday, with the first passengers impacted having checked into the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Santry near Dublin Airport.

Three people who had commenced their quarantine period left the hotel yesterday.

Gardai were called in on Saturday afternoon.

Sources said that three men, who had arrived on a flight from Dubai, were outside hotel smoking under supervision when they attempted to abscond.

One of the men returned voluntarily but two others left the premises.

One of the two men still missing was located last night in Waterford and returned to the Crowne Plaza.

The other man is believed to be a Northern Irish native and potentially went back over the border, sources say.

The search for the third person was ongoing on Sunday afternoon.

A Garda spokesperson said: “An Garda Síochána are this afternoon liaising with the State Liaison Officer at a designated quarantine facility in the Dublin area, in accordance with current protocols.

“As the Department of Health are the lead agency in relation to the management of mandatory quarantining, An Garda Síochána will not be commenting further at this time.”

The Department of Health have refused to comment on the incident “in the interests of protecting confidentiality.”

The Defence Forces and private security guards are involved in monitoring compliance with the rules at hotel quarantine facilities but they do not have the powers to stop people leaving.

If a person leaves prior to the expiration of their quarantine period, it is a criminal offence and gardai are notified.

Those who leave their mandatory hotel quarantine without permission can be fined up to €2,000 or face up to one month in prison.

Travellers arriving from 33 countries deemed high risk by the Government must quarantine for 12 nights at a designated hotel.

The new quarantine rules also apply to any passenger who arrives from any other country without a negative PCR test for Covid-19 carried out no more than 72 hours before they arrive in Ireland.

Travellers are required to pre-book accommodation in a designated quarantine facility and to pre-pay for their stay.

The cost per adult traveller for a 12-night stay inclusive of all services is €1,875.

The stay at the hotel could be reduced if a person receives a negative test for the virus taken on day 10 of quarantine.

The booking portal for mandatory hotel quarantining went live on the Government website last week with the Tifco Hotel Group appointed as the service provider.