Knights of St Columbanus with Bishop Donal McKeown. Photos: Geraldine Diver
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22 Oct 2025
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22 Oct 2025
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Joanne Sweeney: 'I really want to get her home and she really wants to get home'
A Donegal woman has spoken of her concern for her daughter who is stranded in South Africa after travel restrictions were put in place due to the new Covid-19 variant.
Sophie Sweeney flew to South Africa on Wednesday to attend a wedding and was due to be back on Tuesday. She became worried after travel restrictions were imposed following the emergence of the Omicron variant.
Sophie booked an earlier flight home but that was cancelled with no option to rebook.
The businesswoman said her daughter is now due to fly back on Thursday to Ireland via Turkey but she is concerned about how quickly the situation could change.
“The concern is that a lot happens in a single 24 hours never mind five days,” Joanne said.
“I really want t get her home and she really wants to get home.”
She said she is "at a loss what my plan C might be".
“It’s just really bad timing and unfortunate.”
READ MORE: Ireland's response to Covid-19 variant Omicron outlined by Department of Health
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