New testing rules for travellers entering Ireland have been delayed by 48 hours.
On Tuesday, the government announced that people who are fully vaccinated or who have recently recovered from coronavirus need to show proof of a negative test result before arriving in Ireland, by sea or air.
Passengers would have to show a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before arriving, or a lateral flow test taken no more than 48 hours before.
But these measures have now been delayed, and it is understood that they will no be postponed for 48 hours until Sunday, The Mirror reports.
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Justice Minister Helen McEntee confirmed that the testing rules had been "slightly delayed".
“My understanding is that regulations are being introduced and there may have been some slight delay just in the signing off of regulations,” she told Newstalk Breakfast.
“It is not an intentional delay. Obviously, a lot of work has to go into regulations to sign them between a number of different departments so it is not that there is an intentional delay here, but that will be rectified and will be signed off on today is my understanding.
“It just takes time unfortunately. Some of these, they go between various different departments but they will be introduced.
“What we agreed at Cabinet was that we would have not just PCR but also antigen testing for anybody coming into the country from the 3rd. There has been a slight delay but that is very much just procedural and it will continue as planned.”
No official announcement had been made by the government about the changes, while thousands of people due to land in Ireland on Friday and Saturday will have already paid for private tests that they now don't require.
The government has yet to publish all details of the travel rules, even though the rules were due to take effect from Friday.
For example, there are no details available on the sanctions faced by passengers arriving in Ireland who do not provide a negative test.
Additionally, it is not immediately clear who will be required to check for travellers' tests and whether this will be the responsibility of the airlines or officials at Irish airports and ports.
People due to arrive in Ireland today have been voicing their frustration since the news broke on Friday morning.
The current rules mean people arriving into Ireland do not need to quarantine unless they have been to some countries in southern Africa.
A bill that will allow for the return of mandatory hotel quarantine was passed in the Dail on Thursday night.
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