Irish people travelling to the US could face stricter Covid restrictions to be considered by the Biden administration.
The new measures could see those travelling into the US, including people returning to the country, being tested 24 hours before their flight instead of 72 hours prior as is currently required.
The government is also expected to consider more extensive testing of people travelling into the US. This would see travellers having to be retested for Covid within three to five days after arrival.
The Washington Post has also reported that the administration will consider whether or not people entering the US will face mandatory quarantine for seven days, even if they have tested negative for the virus.
Fines for those who do not comply with measures are also to be discussed.
The new rules have been drawn up by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the US and are currently being accessed by officials.
The seven-day quarantine rule is not included in the draft. However, officials have suggested that it could be added in the coming days, although there are no current plans.
President Joe Biden is expected to announce the tighter restrictions as the government make efforts to confront the new Omicron variant.
Speaking to CNN on Tuesday, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said travel restrictions won't "permanently keep out a variant." But said they can help buy time to “vaccinate more people, learn more about the variant [and] work on strengthening even further travel safety measures, including testing.”
He added: “The CDC is considering a number of measures — right now, it hasn't fully decided on what it's implementing, but I do believe some of the measures it's considering will have a substantial impact on our ability to detect the virus before it arrives here.”
The new restrictions are set to derail thousands of Irish passengers who had hoped to travel to the US for the Christmas period.
President Biden has already introduced travel restrictions on flights from southern Africa and has once again strongly urged Americans to take vaccinations or a booster shot.
In a tweet, he said: “We're going to fight the Omicron variant the way we’ve been fighting COVID-19 since the beginning—with scientific and knowledgeable actions and speed, not chaos and confusion.”
He added: “There’s still time to get your first shot, your booster shot, or to get your children vaccinated before Christmas. Get vaccinated.”
