The EU Commissioner Phil Hogan has published a list of his movements since returning from Brussels to Ireland at the beginning of August.
Commissioner Hogan has apologised for breaching COVID-19 restrictions by attending the Oireachtas Golf Society dinner in Clifden last week; however, there have since been claims he breached the guidelines in other ways throughout his trip.
The timeline, submitted to the EU President Ursula Von der Leyen this afternoon, includes a number of trips during the first two weeks of the month, when he was expected to self-isolate after arriving from a non-green-list country.
He has justified this by saying he tested negative for the virus five days after arrival and, as such, ended his self-isolation period.
Government guidelines require two-weeks isolation regardless of any test result.
Commissioner Hogan said he was told by the Citizens Information website that the test allowed him to end his quarantine; however, the webpage he referenced is targeted at people who are tested because they have experienced symptoms of the virus or are close contacts of a confirmed case - not those who have recently arrived in Ireland.
He also said his travel to and from Kildare while the county was in lockdown was to collect essential papers for work.
Here is the full list of Commissioner Hogan’s movements while he was in Ireland:
July 31st: I arrived in Ireland, completed the statutory Passenger Locator Form and travelled to my temporary residence in County Kildare.
5 August: I was admitted to a Dublin hospital for a medical procedure. While in hospital, I tested negative for COVID-19.
6 August: I was discharged from hospital and returned briefly to my temporary residence in County Kildare.
7 August: I travelled to Kilkenny before the local lockdown rules came into effect at midnight in County Kildare.
12 August: I travelled to Dublin from Kilkenny for essential work reasons, which required my attendance at the European Commission office. While in Dublin, I also had separate meetings with the Tánaiste and with Minister Robert Troy, to brief them on events relating to ongoing negotiations with the US.
13 August: I played golf in Adare, Co. Limerick and returned to Kilkenny.
17 August: I travelled from County Kilkenny to County Galway via County Kildare. I stopped briefly in County Kildare at the property in which I had been staying for the purpose of collecting some personal belongings and essential papers relating to the ongoing negotiations with the USTR, Robert Lighthizer, which continued while I was in County Galway. This culminated in an agreement on a package of tariff reductions on August 21st.
18 August: I played golf in County Galway, staying in Clifden. (no formal dinner or reception).
19 August: I played golf in Clifden, and subsequently attended a formal dinner for which I have since apologised.
21 August: I returned from Galway to my temporary residence in County Kildare to collect my remaining personal belongings, including my passport, and stayed there overnight to catch an early morning flight to my primary residence in Brussels from the nearby airport.
22 August: I returned to Brussels.
