Dear All

You will be aware of the newly reported Brazilian variant of COVID.

By way of maximising the communication with people who may have travelled from Brazil in recent weeks, we are requesting Departments to reach out to their agencies and other organisations with which their sectors interact, including through local channels, to facilitate the following information reaching (and, as far as possible, being acted on by) the intended audience:

• All passengers who have arrived from Brazil in January are requested to come forward for a COVID-19 PCR test.  This test can be obtained by going to a GP and seeking a referral.  GPs have been alerted and will facilitate this without any charge.

• These travellers are also strongly advised to self-isolate for 14 days from the date of arrival.

• The HSE’s contracted isolation facility at the Citywest Hotel complex is available to those who are unable to self-isolate in their own homes for any reason and is an option for people from Brazil in this situation.

We ask you to consider, though not limited to, any areas where Brazilian populations are known to be working or living and any national agencies including those involved in the Regulators Forum.

This is to supplement the existing communications through Health.

External Communications

An Roinn Tithíochta, Rialtais Áitiúil agus Oidhreachta

Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage