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30th Jun 2020

Dr Tony Holohan advising people to cancel foreign holidays

Sarah Finnan

Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan is advising anyone with a foreign holiday already booked to reconsider their plans.

Officials at the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), have noticed a “worrying” increase in the number of travel-related Covid-19 cases recently, with six out of 24 new cases being linked to international travel. Urging people to reconsider travelling abroad this summer, Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan said:

“I think that would not just be in your individual interest but in our collective interest.”

Saying that it would make “much more sense” for people with foreign bookings to cancel them, a spokesperson for the World Health Organisation (WHO) reiterated Dr Tony’s pleas – advising Irish people against travelling abroad this summer and saying that caution is of the utmost importance going forward.

This comes after Holohan last week said that he is more than worried at the prospect of international travel resuming. Encouraging people to stay local, he tweeted a message to the public over the weekend that read:

“We move to phase 3 on Mon 29th June. Very low levels of #COVID19. What worries me most now is travel from overseas and I fear many planning foreign trips. 2020 is a year for a staycation. Stay in Ireland, spend locally and follow public health advice.”

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