Concerns have been raised about the arrival of UK-registered cars into Ireland through the ferry ports.

Dr Gabriel Scally said the traffic ‘needs to stop’ as the UK has no community testing for Covid-19.

But Irish Ferries and Stena Line, which both had four ferries arriving into Dublin Port from Wales yesterday, and two each into Rosslare, said their ferries were now mainly used for freight. However, quite a few English-registration vehicles were observed leaving Dublin Port yesterday evening.

‘We have been restricting passengers so we can enforce social distancing, and we are asking people to adhere to government guidelines, and only travel for essential reasons,’ said a Stena Line spokesman. ‘We are trying to concentrate on freight and freight supplies, which are the priority.’ Dr Scally, the author of the report into the CervicalCheck controversy, warned that a key issue for Ireland in the coming weeks would be imported cases of Covid-19.

If someone who was a ‘super spreader’ came into the country ‘then the whole thing could run away from us again’, he told RTÉ Radio’s Sean O’Rourke.

Infectious diseases expert Dr Paddy Mallon tweeted: ‘Ferries are allowed to bring people from UK to Ireland for hols this weekend. UK are swamped with #COVID19 – we are in lockdown. Makes no sense.’ Cancer campaigner Vicky Phelan responded: ‘I don’t understand why our Government are allowing this to happen. They have introduced measures to stop Irish people travelling to holiday homes, which is the correct decision, yet they are still allowing people in from the UK. This is pure madness.’ She added: ‘This is not about deliveries coming in from the UK, in trucks which must continue to come in.

‘This is about holidaymakers coming in.’ Retired Department of Agriculture employee John O’Hea, from Ballincollig, Co. Cork, said parts of West Cork and Kerry had experienced a recent rise in the numbers of English cars travelling to holiday homes.

‘I worked for the department during the foot and mouth and the bird flu outbreaks, and all travel from outside the State from infected areas was stopped,’ he said.

‘I am absolutely gobsmacked to hear people are still arriving through ports and airports…I believe myself that if we don’t crack down on this immediately, the virus will never end.’ Poet and lecturer Colette Colfer shared her concerns on Twitter. She asked if reports were accurate that there were only a handful of cars arriving in Rosslare yesterday.

A spokesman for Irish Ferries said the company never gave out passenger figures. But he said the ferries should only be used for essential travel, and that the company was continuing to monitor the situation.

In a statement, the company said: ‘Irish Ferries continues to operate schedules linking Ireland to Great Britain and France which are vital for essential travel such as repatriation, essential work, or to care for loved ones or vulnerable relatives, all whilst maintaining social distancing on board. These services also play a critical role in the supply chain, ensuring our supermarket shelves remain stocked and important pharmaceutical and medical supplies are shipped.’

A Garda spokesman reiterated the warning by Commissioner Drew Harris, that people should not be travelling to holiday homes.

But he said the movement of people in and out of the State was a matter for the Government.