Woman with two negative Covid tests takes court challenge to Irish hotel quarantine

A woman who is currently quarantining in a Dublin Hotel after her arrival into the state has asked the High Court for inquiry into what she claims amounts to unlawful detention.

The application has been brought by lawyers representing Inbar Aviezer, who under the requirements of the Health (Amendment) Act 2021 has been quarantining at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel, near Dublin Airport since Wednesday after taking a flight from Israel.

At the High Court on Friday evening Justice Senan Allen directed that the Minister for Health be put on notice of the inquiry. The matter is due to be mentioned before the court later on Friday but was subsequently adjourned until Saturday morning.

The inquiry under Article 40.4.2 of the constitution into the legality of her detention has been brought against the Minister for Health, and TIFCO Ltd and TIFCO Management Services (Ireland) Ltd the operators of the hotel where she is currently being held.

Seeking the inquiry under Article 40 of the Irish Constitution Conor Power SC for Ms Aviezer said that while "the doors of her hotel room are unlocked", she must stay in her room for most of the day, and she receives her meals in the room.

Counsel said his client says she is being detained, and that the detention is not lawful.

It is very much her case that the quarantine regime amounts to a form of detention, which breaches his client's constitutional right to liberty, counsel said.

It was accepted that the state must take measures to protect public health in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, counsel also told the court that the decision to require her to quarantine at a hotel was in Ms Aviezer's case is "disproportionate."

Counsel said that there was a failure to take into account important considerations including that client has been vaccinated for Covid19 in Israel, and had tested negative for Covid-19 on two occasions in the last few days.

On arrival she was told she would have to quarantine for up to 14 days, and would have to pay €1,850 to cover the costs of her stay at a designated hotel.

Counsel said she had used the appeal mechanism under the quarantine regulations, but her appeal was not successful.

If she were to leave the hotel, she faces the prospect of being arrested by the Gardaí and being brought back to the hotel.

Anyone who fails or refuses to undergo the mandatory quarantine could end up receiving a criminal record as well as being fined and or being jailed for a month, counsel said.

His client does not wish to break the law, the court heard.

His client, who has moved to Ireland to be with her fiancée, is due to start a new job in the healthcare sector at the end of the month, counsel added.

His client is a citizen of Switzerland, Israel and the United States.

When she arrived in Ireland she did not know about the mandatory requirement to quarantine at a designated hotel, counsel said.

After considering counsel’ssubmissions Justice Allen, who questioned if Ms Aviezer could actually be considered to be detained, and if so who was actually detaining her, said he was prepared to hear the application for an inquiry in the presence of lawyers for the minister.

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