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DUBLIN, June 15 (Reuters) - Ireland will double the
quarantine period for unvaccinated or partially vaccinated
arrivals from Britain to 10 days but still plans to allow people
to move more freely between the two countries from mid-July,
Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said.
The change is due to the rapid spread of the more infectious
Delta variant in Britain, which delayed plans to lift most
remaining COVID-19 restrictions there by a month on Monday.
"It is just to reflect concern about the Delta variant and
to try and hold back the development of that variant here as
much as we can and give us time to get vaccines out to give us
cover against it," Ryan told reporters on Tuesday.
Ireland has the strictest travel restrictions in the EU and
its advice against non-essential travel will remain in place
until July 19 when it adopts the European Union's COVID-19
certificate and applies the same approach to Britain.
Unvaccinated arrivals must currently present a negative test
and self-quarantine for five days until they take a second
post-arrival test. Travellers from Britain will now have to take
an additional test after quarantining for 10 days.
Ryan said he hoped the 10-day quarantine for unvaccinated or
partially vaccinated arrivals from Britain would only be place
until July 19.
He added that falling COVID-19 case numbers meant Ireland
was still on track to loosen its economic COVID-19 restrictions
from July 5 when pubs and restaurants are due to be allowed to
serve customers indoors for the first time this year.
(Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Catherine Evans)
