The decision not to invite Special Olympic athletes and assistants from SARS-infected countries to travel to Ireland in June was regrettable, but unavoidable, the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, said yesterday.
Accepting a recommendation from a Department of Health-appointed expert group, the Minister said he acknowledged that the decision posed "difficulties" for the Games organisers.
"The communal nature of the Games over a period of weeks makes it very distinctive and merits the utmost caution in assessing public healthcare implications," he declared.
However, athletes from the five groups could yet travel if the World Health Organisation (WHO) removes their countries from its list of currently infected regions 10 days before the Games begin.
Special Olympic athletes are different from ordinary travellers, such as Chinese students, because they will be in close contact with each other and locals and because they have special healthcare needs.
The five areas currently on the WHO list are China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and the Philippines, though Canada was removed from the list on Wednesday.
Just one probable SARS case has been reported in the Republic so far: "So the measures and practices we have undertaken are working and are effective," said Mr Martin.
"We do have choices, and we have made those choices. It is a hard choice but it is in the best interests of the wider community. It is tough and difficult for a small number of people.
"But let us not forget the bigger picture. Over 6,500 people will be arriving shortly for the event of a lifetime. All of them have prepared for many months," he went on.
The Department's chief medical officer, Dr Jim Kiely, said the experts group had looked at all of the options that could have allowed the athletes concerned to travel.
Quarantine before travel would not work because the WHO would not verify standards, while Irish doctors could not be sent to do it because Irish citizens have been told not to travel to such regions.
Quarantining up to 400 people for 10 days on their arrival here would not work either both because they would have to be kept in small numbers and checked twice a day by doctors.
Respiratory infections of any nature, such as a common cold, would have to be designated as suspect SARS cases because the people were from infected regions.
"On top of that, if a respiratory infection occurred on the ninth day of the quarantine, the quarantine would have to be carried out again for a further 10 days," commented Dr Kiely.
A SARS outbreak would put the health service under pressure, as happened in Toronto, while the confidentiality of patients would be difficult to protect under a glare of publicity, he said.
The Department of Health last night pointed out that the World Cross-Country Championships was cancelled during the foot-and-mouth crisis in 2001.
The Minister said he was bound to accept the experts' advice.
"The civil and administration wing of the Department is there to implement the advice of experts," he said.
"I think it would be wrong in principle for any Minister to attempt to undermine the decision of experts. They should be allowed to make their own independent assessment of the risks to public health," he went on.
He had cleared the decision with the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the Tánaiste, Ms Harney. "They are agreement with me that the best course of action is to follow through on the expert group's recommendation."