Eamon Ryan has said the skies should be reopened for fully vaccinated people.
He said “there’s a need for pragmatism” in relaxing the restrictions on travel for those who can’t contract Covid.
The Minister for Transport indicated his preference for allowing people jet away on international travel trips - and for incoming tourists - as soon as they are protected by the jab.
And he said there isn’t even necessarily a need to wait for the highly-anticipated Digital Green Certificate from the EU, as this might not be in widespread use until the middle of August.
Mr Ryan told the Dáil this afternoon: “Already the principle is established in the Mandatory Hotel Quarantine (MHQ) regulations that vaccinated people should not be subject to MHQ.
“As the vaccine programme is rolled out, and large portions of the population are fully vaccinated, I would like to see this principle applied more broadly in the context of the opening of international travel, i.e., that fully-vaccinated people that do not present a public health risk of the spread of Covid-19 should not be subjected to pre-arrival testing or quarantine requirements.
“Given that the Digital Green Certificate might not be in widespread use until at least mid-August, it would seem to not be reasonable for people to wait for the Digital Green Certificate before allowing freedom from current pre-arrival PCR and quarantine requirements.
“There’s a need for pragmatism to allow for an early discontinuation of these public health requirements for fully-vaccinated people to travel within the EU and between certain non-EU EEA countries.”
Mr Ryan added a caveat that variants of the coronavirus are still a cause for concern.
He added: “However, if epidemiological conditions including status of variants of concern must also be favourable for international travel to return.
“And for the current advice against non-essential travel to be lifted within Europe and with third countries.”
Labour transport spokesman, Duncan Smith, believes the Government should in the meantime implement the EU’s new Digital Green Certificate “as soon as possible.”
EU authorities are set to formally approve the Cert next week, with EU countries then having six weeks from June 26th to bring it into force.
Many Member states heavily reliant on tourism are expected to introduce the Cert within days, which will reopen their countries to foreign tourism.
Mr Smith said: “Without wanting to get ahead of ourselves, I am taking to my feet in a debate on aviation where it genuinely feels there is some light at the end of the tunnel.
“The EU digital Covid certificate is that light.
“I am somewhat encouraged by the Minister's speech and the Taoiseach's statement earlier today, as reported in the media, that it is ‘full steam ahead’ for the EU digital Covid certificate.
“This is where the rubber meets the runway as regards whether or not aviation will recover. “If we do not get this right as a country and implement it as soon as is practicable, in a manner that protects public health, then any chance our aviation sector has of a full recovery will be lost.
“The Government is finally getting it and is willing to push this issue as quickly as possible.”
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