Ireland has tonight imposed an emergency brake with immediate effect on seven countries in southern Africa.
Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, said the Government has gone ahead with strict new rules as a “precautionary” measure as fears over the Omicron variant grow.
There are concerns that it may be both more contagious and more resistant to vaccines.
The Government has issued an official statement: “A new Covid variant has been identified in southern Africa, which has given rise to increased concern.
“As a result, travel from a number of countries (Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe) poses a risk, based on detection of cases or geographical proximity to those countries where cases have been detected.
Ireland currently has no direct flights from any of these countries.
Passengers arriving to Ireland from overseas are required to have proof of Covid vaccine or recovery status, or evidence of a “not detected” PCR test, prior to departure.
A number of further steps are now being taken, following consideration of the latest developments at EU level today:
Ireland will align with the EU Recommendation to apply the “emergency brake” in respect of the countries concerned (i.e. Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe) and discourage travel to/from these countries.
The Department of Justice is updating visa requirements for those countries.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has changed its travel advisory to “avoid non-essential travel” to these countries.
Irish residents returning home from these countries will be required to undergo strict home quarantine regardless of vaccine/recovery/test status, and undergo PCR testing during quarantine.
Mandatory Hotel Quarantine options are being examined on a contingency basis.
The Department of Transport has engaged with carriers to ensure that all relevant pre-departure requirements (Covid Certificate, PCR test evidence, Passenger Locator Forms) are rigorously complied with.
The Department of Justice is arranging increased BMU spot-checking of passengers on arrival.
The situation regarding this new variant will be kept under continuous review by all relevant bodies.
