Tag Archives: Vietnam

A CLARE man, who was detained in mandatory quarantine in South East Asia, has voiced his relief at getting out of the Coronavirus control centre. English teacher Darragh Collins from Ennis, and was taken by Vietnamese health authorities from his home to an isolation facility, after he attended a bar which was believed to be the source of a Covid-19 cluster in Ho Chi Min city. After being detained for a fortnight in quarantine at the Hoc Mon University campus, with up to 100 other Irish nationals, Mr Collins was released last weekend. He previously told The Champion that while the detention wasn’t a violation of his human rights, there were concerns over hygiene and access to accurate information about the quarantine period. This week, he told The Champion he was delighted to have been released and to be able to return to his apartment, to the huge relief of friends and family. “Home and safe now, I got out …

A YOUNG Ennis man faces an uncertain few days as he waits to find out if he can leave a Vietnamese quarantine facility, where he has been kept for almost a fortnight. Darragh Collins, from Shanaway Road in Ennis, has been teaching English in the country for the last two years. He attended St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Buddha Bar in Ho Chi Min which were deemed to be linked to a Coronavirus cluster. Days after the event, health authorities arrived at his apartment and took him on a quarantine bus to the Hoc Mon University campus, 17km away. “People were quite agitated about the situation, especially on the way to the centre,” Darragh told The Champion. “I wasn’t tested until the second day. I feel fine and have tested negative, but the information is that we will be here for 14 days and may need a second negative test before we can leave.” Darragh now faces an anxious wait …

A cost benefit analysis should be conducted on a proposed twinning arrangement between Clare and a province in China, according to a local councillor. Councillor PJ Kelly has urged Clare County Council to complete a thorough review on the costs and benefits of sending a delegation to Yuman Province, to prevent members ending up like a “shower of fools”. While Councillor Kelly is not opposed to the council’s bid to explore establishing a new twinning arrangement, he stressed the importance of proper planning and research on what the Chinese like to do when they travel abroad, before a decision is made on the trip. While the Lissycasey councillor admitted that the public may not happy with the cost of the trip, he warned they would be even more dissatisfied if the delegation returned without achieving a defined set of objectives. The council has accepted an invitation from the People’s Republic of China to send a delegation to the country later …