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Passengers from some EU states will not have to be quarantined upon arrival in the Republic starting next week once they have a test showing that they are negative for Covid-19.
Transport Minister Eamon Ryan told MPs and senators on Wednesday that the government will adopt the EU’s “traffic light” system for travel starting Sunday night, November 8.
Ryan said that starting Sunday, the Republic will waive the need for those arriving from areas classified as “orange” under this system to self-isolate for 14 days, once they confirm that they have tested negative for Covid-19 up to three days before. come here.
Grading system
The EU system classifies regions as green, orange and red, according to the rate of Covid-19 infection in each, with green being the one with the lowest risk.
For those arriving from the red zones, the Minister said that the Government will exempt them from the rest of the 14-day quarantine restriction if they obtain an approved negative Covid-19 test five days after arrival.
It acknowledged that only a small number of EU regions were rated orange by the European Center for Disease Control, while most remained red or high risk following a spike in Covid-19 cases.
Ryan also noted that the Government would support plans to establish test centers at Republic airports for those traveling from the Republic.
Dublin airport owner DAA says it could have a hub open in a few days if it receives a ministerial order waiving the need to obtain a planning permit for the facility.
“The Government will help DAA in any way they need assistance,” said the Minister.
He added that any testing system introduced by the airport would have to be approved by health authorities.
PCR tests
Ryan told the committee that the Republic would only accept results from PCR tests, which verify the DNA of the virus, rather than faster and cheaper detection, which identifies antigens released by an individual’s immune system.
“The current advice from international authorities is that antigen testing is not appropriate for international air travel,” he noted.
However, Mr. Ryan added that if that council changes, the government should be prepared to change as well.
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