The European Commission has said the Government should use "less restrictive" quarantine measures for citizens arriving from five EU member states and that there should be clear exemptions for essential travel to Ireland.
The Commission said it had written to the Government today asking the Irish authorities to clarify the criteria used to determine which EU countries faced mandatory hotel quarantine.
During a news briefing, Commission spokesperson Christian Wigand said: "The Commission has concerns regarding this measure in relation to the general principles of EU law, in particular proportionality and non-discrimination. "We have been in contact with the Irish authorities during the past days on this matter.