Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said the mandatory quarantine of incoming visitors to Ireland would not be proportionate or workable.
Speaking in the Dáil, he said inbound travel has now reduced to around 33,000 people per week and the vast majority of these people are undertaking essential travel.
He said the Government's new mandatory requirement of a PCR test is being met with a very high degree of compliance, and fines are being issued for those who breach the rules.
He said the three main reasons for opposing mandatory quarantine were that it is "disproportionate", because positive Covid-19 cases within the state were not quarantined; the EU's stringent rules on the freedom of movement; and the fact that Ireland cannot control its border -