US Authorities have issued an apology to the Government over US military personnel breaching Irish Covid-19 regulations after landing at Shannon Airport.
The military personnel stayed overnight in a Limerick Hotel without providing evidence of negative PCR tests or passenger locator forms.
The US Navy aircraft landed at Shannon Airport shortly after 7pm on January 25th, en route from Bahrain, carrying five crew and 48 military personnel.
The Irish Examiner reports that those on board stayed overnight in a Limerick Hotel before taking off for the US the following morning.
Responding to a parliamentary question, the Foreign Affairs Minister says the passengers were informed by Gardaí that they had breached the law, and that the breach had happened “due to an error on the US side”.
Simon Coveney added that the issue has been raised with US authorities, who have undertaken a review of the circumstances leading to the breach.
They’ve confirmed that the passengers were operating in a ‘clean bubble’, were tested repeatedly while deployed in the location where the flight originated, and left their hotel once to purchase food.
Minister Coveney says the issue of non-compliance with public health guidelines is serious, that it has been raised with US authorities, and that the government has since received apologies for the incident and assurances that it will not happen again.
