All passengers arriving into Ireland from a list of designated countries are now required to pre-book accommodation in a quarantine facility.
If anyone has been overseas in a specific country for a period of 14-days prior to entering Ireland, they must quarantine in a government-sanctioned facility.
In terms of the post-arrival quarantine requirements for all passengers arriving in Ireland, a 14-day quarantine period must be undertaken at the address specified on the Passenger Locator Form.
Elsewhere, passengers who travel from another country to Ireland, or arrive via Northern Ireland, must also observe the mandatory quarantine regime.
These visitors can only leave their place of residence during the quarantine period for unavoidable reasons .ie, an emergency situation to protect a person’s health or welfare.
If anyone wishes to end their period of quarantine, they must receive written confirmation of a ‘non-detected’ RT-PCR test result taken no less than FIVE days after arrival.
They must retain the written confirmation of their test result for at least two weeks.
It's worth noting that if anyone does not fulfil the legal requirement for mandatory quarantine, they are committing an offence.
However, it is important to note that the list of designated states can frequently change and passengers are required to check the list before travelling to Ireland.
As stated by Citizens Information, there are some exemptions though that don't require a person to quarantine in a hotel.
An individual does not have to complete with mandatory quarantine if they are...
- People travelling for urgent medical reasons
- People arriving who have a mandatory legal obligation, for example, an arrest warrant or an extradition order
- Gardaí or defence forces carrying out their duties
- Diplomats or elected representatives carrying out essential functions
- International transport workers who hold Annex 3 certificate and are carrying out their duties as drivers of a heavy goods vehicle
- Airline pilots or aircrew, maritime master or maritime crew carrying out their duties, and
- Members of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament) or the European Parliament carrying out their duties.
The government also state that "transit passengers who arrive for the purposes of travelling to another state, and who do not leave the port or airport" do not have to quarantine.
Elsewhere, there are certain criterion and situations that may allow a person to temporarily leave their place of quarantine when necessary to perform an essential function – and only for as long as strictly required.
They are as follows:
- a person required to carry out essential repair, maintenance, construction or safety assurance of critical transport infrastructure, critical utility infrastructure, manufacturing services, information services, or communication services
- a member of staff of an international organisation, or person invited, carrying out functions required for the proper functioning of such organisations and which cannot be carried out remotely
- a passenger who is participating in a sporting event and has been provided with written certification by Sport Ireland, and
- journalists, carrying out their professional functions.
