TCDSU to lobby for free quarantine for returning students in college accommodation

The motion also requires TCDSU to request that the government allow students returning to Ireland to complete the mandatory quarantine in college-provided accommodation

After a successful vote at the final Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) Council meeting of the year, TCDSU is now mandated to lobby College to provide free college accommodation and Covid-19 tests to students returning from abroad.

The motion also requires the union to request that the government allow students returning to Ireland to complete the mandatory quarantine in college-provided accommodation. 

Janina Knörzer, Junior Sophister single honors history class rep, proposed the motion. 

In response to a concern as to how College would be able to ensure that the quarantine would be abided by, Knörzer said: “Charging people €2,000 on the off-chance that they might disobey the rules I think is not justified.”

International Students Officer Patrick O’Mahoney urged students to vote in favour of the motion, saying “there is the issue at the moment that there is a limited number of spaces in hotel quarantine so even if the cost is covered not everyone is guaranteed to have a spot”.

“Additionally, College is aware of this issue and they are making plans to find hotel quarantine as opposed to restriction of movements which was the case at the start of the year,” O’Mahony said.

Hotel quarantine is mandatory for any unvaccinated person arriving in Ireland from a designated high risk country, a list which includes France, Italy and the United States. The quarantine lasts 12 days and costs €1875 for one adult. 

It was recently announced that the state will pay for the mandatory hotel quarantine of students registered at Irish institutions that are returning from Erasmus, but international and EU students registered in degree programs at Irish institutions are not included in the scheme. 

Additional reporting by Shannon Connolly, Kate Glen, Bonnie Gill and Audrey Brown.

Connie Roughan

Connie Roughan is the Unions Correspondent for Trinity News and a Senior Fresh BESS student.