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Four countries have been added to Ireland’s green list of overseas destinations that people can visit without having to restrict their movements upon return.
However, six have also been removed, meaning that now only seven countries are included in the Department of Foreign Affairs’ travel security advisory of “normal precautions.”
Published today, with the changes that will take effect on Monday, September 21, the new list includes Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
However, the current ‘green list’, which includes 10 countries and was last updated on August 4, remains in effect until next Monday.
At that time, Estonia, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Italy, Norway and Slovakia will be removed, and their warnings will be modified to “avoid non-essential travel.”
The changes are an interim measure until mid-October, when Ireland will opt for the EU-wide “traffic light” system to resume safe travel.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said that the changes will ensure that “a true green list” now frees people to travel to these destinations, even for vacations, without having to restrict their movements for 14 days when they return.
However, people are advised to avoid all ‘non-essential travel’ to any country not on the ‘green list’ (including cruises) and, if traveling for essential reasons, to restrict their movements for 14 days to to return.
“From now until the EU approves a system, Ireland’s Green List will be updated weekly,” Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said.
“The changes announced today will take effect on Monday. People should use our travel tips to carefully consider their need to travel abroad and to take into account the restrictions that other countries may have for travelers to Ireland.
The countries on the new ‘green list’ have fewer than 25 cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 during the last 14 days, according to data provided by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
However, Liechtenstein is excluded (7.8).
Irish citizens are also warned that even if a country is on Ireland’s ‘green list’, that does not guarantee a smooth journey to the other side.
Countries continue to announce their own restrictions, and “this may include restrictions on arrivals from Ireland,” says the DFA.
Ireland currently has a 14-day average of 54.7 cases per 100,000.
With these figures, for example, anyone traveling from Ireland to Cyprus should provide a negative Covid-19 test result upon arrival, obtained within the previous 72 hours.
The ‘traffic light’ system proposed by the European Commission is expected to be adopted in mid-October, and will see countries color-coded based on their cumulative 14-day incidence of the virus per 100,000, as well as other metrics such as the percentage of positives. Test results.
- Red: More than 50 cases per 100,000
- Orange: Less of 50 per 100,000
- Green: Less than 25 per 100,000
While this week the tourism industry gave a cautious welcome to the move, many have also pointed out that the changing nature of the provisional ‘green list’ will make it difficult for people to plan their vacations in advance, and that a Covid-Se urgently requires a testing regime, both in Ireland and across Europe.
In a statement issued Thursday, Aer Lingus said they were “concerned about the approach taken by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade” with regard to the Green List.
He continued: “On Tuesday, the Government indicated that it would align itself with the proposals developed by the European Commission outlining a coordinated approach to free movement in the European Union and the European Economic Area. The ‘green list’ announced today does not represent a step. towards alignment with the European Commission’s free movement proposal.
“The application of that proposal would have kept the following countries on the list: Greece, Italy, Norway and Slovakia. The following countries would also have been added to the list: Bulgaria, Sweden, Slovenia, Denmark, United Kingdom, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Luxembourg, Malta.
“Aer Lingus looks forward to the prompt and full implementation of the European Commission’s free movement proposal.”
The latest DFA travel tips can be found at this link.
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