Nine in 10 Irish Mirror readers think US tourists who refuse to self-isolate when arriving here should be jailed, our poll has found.
Professor Sam McConkey on Monday said having "10 or 20 American tourists in Mountjoy" would get the message through to visitors that they must follow public health regulations when coming to Ireland.
His comments came after reports of groups of US tourists openly flouting the 14-day quarantine rule in different areas of the country last weekend.
And around 90% of people who took part in an Irish Mirror poll believe tourists should be locked up if they don't self-isolate for two weeks after landing in Ireland.
The other 10%, out of 3,000 people polled, said the visitors should be allowed to enjoy their holiday.
One respondent said: "Our government is strongly advising us to stay at home and avoid overseas travel.
"Why on earth are people allowed into our country from the USA, the country with the worlds worst response to Covid-19?"
Another said: "Just stop them coming in full stop. We've all worked hard to fight this. It's people s lives at risk here."
A third person said: "Common sense should have told them to check what countries have these measures in place before booking.
"Americans and other nationalities have always been welcomed in this country, it is unfortunate there was not more clear guidance on this."
