Mandatory quarantine hotel stays will commence this week.

Quarantine hotels are finally launching in Ireland. Following much debate and foot dragging, the new mandatory two-week quarantine hotels for travellers coming to the country have been set up and will open for the first time this Friday. Passengers travelling from 33 designated "high risk" states to Ireland will be charged €1,875 for a 12 night stay in one of the hotels, before being permitted to travel elsewhere. Service provider Tifco Hotel Group, who won the quarantine hotel contract earlier this month, will provide full board, transport, security, and health services as well as accommodation. Here's all you need to know.

When are the quarantine hotels opening?

Ireland's first quarantine hotel will open at 4am on Friday, March 26. It will be located in the Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport Hotel in Santry. The Defence Forces will oversee travel to and from the hotels. Each premises will have a security contract in place and Gardaí will be "available as a point of escalation in response to any such incidents." The Tifco Hotel Group has said that they will be working to make as many rooms as possible available for those who need to book.

Who needs to book a quarantine hotel?

Passengers travelling to Ireland from 33 "high risk" states will need to book a quarantine hotel if they are arriving into the country after 4am on Friday, March 26. "High risk" states include being in such a country at any time in the 14 days before arriving to Ireland, and travelling through an airport or port in a "high risk" country. These countries include the United Arab Emirates, Austria, Brazil, and South Africa. A full list of 33 "high risk" states can be found here.  Passengers coming to Ireland from non-high risk countries without a negative or not detected PCR test must also book a mandatory stay in a quarantine hotel for maximum 14 days. Those coming into Ireland with a negative or not detected PCR test from a country not deemed "high risk" will still be asked to quarantine at home.

How do you book?

The booking portal for Ireland's quarantine hotels opened this week and can be accessed here.  The cost for one person in one room for 12 nights is €1,875. The additional rate for one adult sharing a room is €625, and the additional rate for a child sharing is €360. Infants stay free. The day rate for passengers coming into Ireland without a negative Covid test will be €150 per day.

What happens when you check into a quarantine hotel?

Passengers staying in quarantine hotels will be transferred immediately from the airport to the premises by the Irish Defence Forces. Each person will be required, by law, to remain inside the quarantine hotel for up to 14 days, or 12 nights. Passengers will not be permitted to leave the premises, receive visitors, or mix with other guests. As per other successful quarantine hotels in the likes of Australia and New Zealand, meals will be delivered three times a day to each room by staff, of which travellers will have minimal contact with. It is not yet known what rules will be enforced regarding outdoor exercise in Ireland's quarantine hotels. While New Zealand permitted passengers to exercise during a designated time outdoors, Australia enforced stricter policies and ensured all guests remained inside their rooms. Covid testing facilities will be present in the hotels. Once the mandatory stay is complete, travellers will receive a letter of completion confirming that they have stayed in their hotel for 14 days (or 10 days, if they receive a negative test after that period of time). Those evading the mandatory quarantine measures will face a €2,000 fine, receive a prison sentence of up to one month, or both. A full list of exemptions to quarantine hotels, and more information, can be found here.