Three people escaped mandatory hotel quarantine in Dublin on Tuesday only to be stopped by Gardai over 150km away in Loughrea, Co Galway.
All three have since returned to quarantining in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Santry after a conversation with officers.
A statement from the Garda Press Office confirmed that Gardai were "liaising with the State Liaison Officer at a designated quarantine facility in accordance with current protocols following a report of three people leaving a facility in the Dublin area earlier today.
"A graduated policing response was adopted by Gardai and all three have since been returned to the facility," the statement said.
"As the Department of Health are the lead agency in relation to the management of mandatory quarantining, An Garda Síochána will not be commenting further at this time."
It's the second time in the space of two weeks that people have managed to leave a quarantine facility.
As of March 26, all passengers arriving into Ireland from designated states are now required to pre-book accommodation in a designated quarantine facility, and to pre-pay for their stay which is to last 12 days.
The cost of the two-week stay, varying from 10-12 nights, in an airport hotel in Dublin will start at €1,875 per person which includes accommodation and food as well as transport to the hotel and testing.
Anyone found guilty of breaking these new laws could face fines of up to €5,000 and or a six-month prison sentence.
In terms of the new law, anyone arriving in Ireland from the list of “high risk” countries must quarantine for 14 days once they arrive in Ireland. Failure to do so will result in a hefty fine.
