[ad_1]
Travel to and from Ireland remains shrouded in a fog of unprecedented uncertainty. With the list of countries that the Irish can visit without restrictions set to be reduced to just four starting next Monday, and the increased incidence of Covid-19 here making travel abroad difficult, it is unlikely that there will be any clarity for weeks, if not months ahead. .
What countries are off the green list?
Under the new Covid-19 travel rules, which were implemented in this country earlier this month, the so-called green list of countries that people can visit without restrictions will be reduced starting next Monday.
Only four countries remain on the list of countries that the Irish can travel to without having to restrict their movements upon their return with Germany, Lithuania, Poland and Iceland to be removed from the list.
With Covid-19 rates increasing in most European countries, the incidence in Germany, Lithuania, Poland and Iceland has risen above the threshold of 25 cases per 100,000 inhabitants applied by the Irish authorities when establishing the current composition. of the list. just last week.
The incidence of Covid-19 in 14 days in Germany is now 27 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, Lithuania has 27.5 and Poland 25.6, while the figure for Iceland exceeds 90, according to the latest data from the European Center for the Disease Prevention and Control.
The incidence of the disease in 14 days in the Republic stood at 68.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants on Wednesday, according to European figures (the Irish health authorities put it at more than 70), so it would not even be close to enter the list of any other EU country if they applied the same rules as here.
So who is left on the green list?
While the government also takes other factors into account when deciding which countries to green list, the remaining four countries are Cyprus, Finland, Latvia, and a newcomer, Liechtenstein.
But can we travel to those countries?
Well, Germany has stated that Dublin is a Covid-19 risk area, which means that anyone arriving from Dublin must take a Covid-19 test before they are allowed to enter.
Berlin defines a risk area as any place with a new infection rate greater than 50 per 100,000 inhabitants in the last seven days and, as of today, all arrivals from Dublin to Germany will need to be tested on arrival or at within 10 days.
They must self-isolate until they receive a negative test result.
What about this new traffic light system?
Rules may be introduced across the EU in a few weeks if a new traffic light system is confirmed at a meeting of the EU Council of Ministers on 15 October.
That could make it possible for the Irish to travel more widely, as long as the infection rate can be controlled here.
The new system would see a color-coded system implemented based on data provided by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. Under the new rules, countries colored green will cover territories where the number of cases is low (less than 25 per 100,000 people in a 14-day period) and the percentage of positive tests is less than 3%.
Countries will be orange when there are less than 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, while countries will be red if there are more than 50 cases per 100,000.
People traveling from countries designated as red will continue to be quarantined for 14 days or will have to take a Covid-19 test to prove they are negative.
Under those rules, and according to Wednesday’s figures, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Bulgaria, Greece, Norway, Slovakia, Lithuania, Estonia would also be open to travel across the EU. The Republic, however, would not be on the list.
And the rest of the world?
While much of the focus is on travel within the EU, the European Economic Area and the UK, the new rules also provide for a gradual lifting of restrictions for other countries, with Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand , South Korea and Thailand among others. those who might see restrictions eased early, although much of Africa and Asia are also doing considerably better than Europe, and although a lot can happen in three weeks.
So does that mean we go back to the way we used to travel?
No. The outgoing CEO of International Airlines’ Group (IAG), owner of Aer Lingus, British Airways and Spain’s Iberia and Vueling, Willie Walsh warned this week that air travel will never be like it was before Covid.
Speaking as part of a webinar hosted by Eurocontrol, the organization of European air traffic control agencies, Walsh said the current crisis, which grounded airlines between March and June and left most flying at about the half its capacity since then, was the worst the industry has suffered. experienced.
He pointed to the Republic’s travel restrictions as the most extreme in the EU and said authorities here had “effectively closed the island.” He described the UK’s approach as chaotic, introducing, removing and reintroducing quarantines for various destinations.
What are airlines doing about the restrictions?
Groups representing aviation and tourism from Ireland and the EU have called on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to introduce new Covid testing protocols.
In a letter sent to Ms Von der Leyen this week, the groups, representing both IAG and Ryanair, among others, said that the “current chaotic situation requires your immediate personal involvement, as President of the European Commission. We therefore urge you to make this issue a top priority and ask you to address it directly with heads of state and government. “
It has called for a test protocol across the EU to avoid quarantines and reopen borders.
What about refunds?
Passengers closest to home say they are still waiting for refunds for flights canceled months ago at the height of the crisis, although both Ryanair and Aer Lingus have told The Irish Times that they have processed the vast majority of refunds owed.
In a statement, Aer Lingus said it had “received more than two million requests for refunds and coupons since the COVID-19 pandemic triggered an unprecedented level of flight cancellations.”
He said 1.8 million coupons and refunds have been processed, or 90 percent of the applications received. “The remaining 10 percent of requests are of a more complex nature; however, we recognize that some clients have been waiting too long and we have expanded our teams to address these older cases. “
Ryanair said that more than 90 percent of its customers had been “accommodated with free flight movements, flight coupons or cash refunds by the end of July.”
A spokesperson said the airline was “working its way through the small remaining balance.”
He suggested that “the vast majority of the remaining customers booked through unlicensed screen scrapers that made reservations using bogus passenger contact and payment details. Without an exact contact email or credit card details, Ryanair cannot refund these passengers. To assist them, Ryanair has developed a “Customer Verification” process accessible on Ryanair.com that allows these passengers to directly request and receive a refund for their flight. “
He also reiterated frequent calls from the airline for regulators here and in the UK to “issue regulations to force screen scrapers like Kiwi, LastMinute, EDreams On The Beach, Love Holidays, to pass on accurate credit card details. of the client and email addresses to the reservation that would allow to process the refunds directly to the passengers in case of cancellation “.
[ad_2]