RTÉ Courts Reporter
A High Court challenge by two women who were arrested at Dublin Airport after initially refusing to enter mandatory hotel quarantine has been adjourned until next month.
Niamh Mulreany, 25, and 30-year-old Kirstie McGrath had been detained in Mountjoy Prison before their bail conditions were changed and they completed their quarantine at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Santry.
The women had flown back from Dubai on 2 April and were arrested and charged with breaching Section 38 of the Health (amendment) act 2021 by refusing to be detained in quarantine following their alleged refusal to go to the hotel.
They were granted bail the following day, but were unable to take it up due to the financial conditions imposed on them.
Significant capacity
The most recently available figures indicated that there was significant capacity available in the system last Friday, prior to the most recent expansion of the list of countries eligible for mandatory hotel quarantine.
Last Friday, there was 56.3 per cent capacity remaining in the system, and 271 rooms occupied, with 344 people quarantining. Ministers were told when signing off on plans to expand the system that there would be 959 rooms available by April 19th and 1147 by April 26th.
But there are significant concerns in Government that there will not be enough rooms and that there will either be queues of people trying to get into the country or that people may travel to Belfast or London before moving on to the State.
Legal Affairs Correspondent
Two women who were arrested at Dublin Airport after initially refusing to enter mandatory hotel quarantine have been released from quarantine this evening.
Niamh Mulreany, 25, and 30-year-old Kirstie McGrath had been detained in Mountjoy Prison before their bail conditions were changed and they continued to quarantine at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Santry.
The women had flown back from Dubai on 2 April.
They were arrested and charged with breaching Section 38 of the Health (amendment) act 2021 by refusing to be detained in quarantine following their alleged refusal to go to the hotel.
They were granted bail the following day, but were unable to take it up due to the financial conditions imposed on them.
Over 500 gardai including those working in mandatory hotel quarantine to get Covid-19 jab
Updated: 12 Apr 2021, 22:51
OVER 500 gardai working on Ireland s Covid frontlines - including those involved in mandatory hotel quarantine - have begun to receive the Covid-19 vaccine today.
The latest change to the Covid vaccination rollout plan came after a plea from Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to the Government.
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Garda Commissioner Drew HarrisCredit: PA
The move comes after increasing calls from garda representative groups to give cops vaccine priority due to the role they play in policing during the pandemic.
525 members of An Garda Siochana began to receive their Covid-19 jab doses today.