A dental surgery in Tenerife has said that they’ve received many bookings from Irish patients, most of which aren’t turning up, leading them to believe that these appointments are being booked as an excuse to have a holiday.
Speaking to Today With Claire Byrne, they said:
“n the past 2 weeks we have been getting a lot of bookings from Irish people, all the patients were requesting an email to confirm the appointment (which is new), and then they are not turning up.
“Today we are expecting 2 Irish patients, but we don’t know really if they’ll turn up. Obviously, as they are not turning up, we now understand it is just an excuse for a holiday. They are taking appointments away from people who need them.”
“I would see at least 5, 6 even 7 emails and calls from young Irish people – normally they are older – but now they are young and they clearly just want a holiday.”
This week, it was reported that the Government was seeking to increase the fine for non-essential international travel from €500 to €2,000. Speaking to the Dáil, Taoiseach Micheál Martin explained that around 60% of international travellers arriving into Ireland are returning Irish holidaymakers. He said that “there is a sense that €500 is not a sufficient disincentive to travel abroad”.
Gardaí have set up roadside check-points around Dublin Airport, issuing fines to people leaving the country for non-essential reasons.
Last week, Gardaí shared a fake employer letter which claimed to provide a ‘reasonable excuse’ for someone to undertake international travel to Tenerife. The letter claimed that the person travelling was an “Electronic Security Systems Provider which is an essential service in Europe and covered by the Irish Government advice of January 24th”.
Gardaí also revealed last week that 4,600 fines have been issued for breaches of Covid-19 regulations in Ireland.
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