A dental surgery in Tenerife has said it is seeing an influx of Irish appointments who then don't show up at their booked time.
A dentist on the Spanish island told RTE's Claire Byrne that they've seen multiple Irish bookings but very few have turned up - instead claiming they are using it as an excuse for a holiday.
Speaking on RTE Radio One, a woman from the surgery said: "In the past two weeks we have been getting a lot of bookings from Irish people, all the patients were requesting an email to confirm the appointment (which is new), and then they are not turning up.
"Today we are expecting two Irish patients, but we don't know really if they'll turn up.
"Obviously as they are not turning up, we now understand it is just an excuse for a holiday... they are taking appointments away from people who need them.
"I would see at least 5, 6 even 7 emails and calls from young Irish people - normally they are older - but now they are young and they clearly just want a holiday."
Fines for those heading abroad for non-essential travel currently stand at €500 although proposals are there to see them rise to €2000.
Non-essential travel oversees is a breach of the top level of Covid-19 regulations that limit people to exercising within five kilometres of their homes, except for travelling for work, education or other essential purposes.
While passenger numbers are down 97% year-on-year, the government said two-thirds of Irish arrivals at airports are returning holidaymakers, which an official in Micheal Martin's department described as "a very concerning statistic".
"There's a sense €500 is not a sufficient disincentive to travel abroad, that will be increased and the government is considering increasing that to €2,000 to act as a significant deterrent," Mr Martin told the Dail.
Ireland is in the process of introducing a 14-day quarantine in hotels for all people arriving from Brazil and South Africa, and for anyone arriving without evidence of a negative coronavirus test.
