The government has announced stricter advice for overseas travel for those coming from Great Britain amid concerns about the emergence of the Omicron Covid-19 variant.
Travelers arriving in Ireland from Great Britain are advised to take daily antigen tests for five consecutive days, beginning on the day of arrival, to self-isolate immediately and to seek a PCR test if they develop symptoms or test positive for the antigen.
The government said the latest public health assessment has been considered in relation to the Omicron variant, taking into account relevant factors including the intention to continue alignment with the EU’s general approach to travel, conditions specific to the Common Travel Area, and additional travel advisories being published.
In addition to including antigen testing for travelers arriving from the UK, the current requirements for all overseas travelers to take an ‘undetected’ Covid test prior to departure (antigen or PCR, depending on vaccine recovery status) will continue to apply. .
Airlines and ferries will continue to verify compliance with pre-departure testing, while maintaining spot checks by border management officials also at arrival points.
Anyone eligible for a booster vaccine is strongly advised to take advantage of it wherever possible, if they are considering international travel in the near future.
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Meanwhile, the government said its communications on Covid-19 will be updated to ensure that everyone should consider their public health, vaccine status and Omicron’s spread in other countries before they decide to travel.
Speaking tonight, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said Ireland is following the European approach on antigen testing for international travel and advice for travelers from the UK should be followed but it is not a regulation.
“We tell people from Great Britain that in the five days following your arrival you should have an antigen test every day and you should use a very high level of caution while traveling,” he told Virgin Media’s The Tonight Show.
This is general advice, not regulatory. Therefore, we are giving this advice as a government … people adhere to public health advice. We do not put it into law in terms of text. We have to trust people with regards to taking it.”
Taoiseach also emphasized that antigen tests can be self-administered and are only applicable to Great Britain due to the volume of travel between the UK and Ireland.
Mr Martin said the WHO had expressed the view that the Omicron variant could not be stopped but could be slowed down and that was what the new measures were meant to do.
We are taking steps to protect people and to tell people to «watch this.» Slowing it down and getting the booster will give extra protection.”
we visited Covid-19 vaccine dashboard For updates on the start of the vaccination program and the rate of coronavirus cases in Ireland