The two week quarantine rule on arrival into the country should be scrapped next week, a State appointed taskforce has told the government.
The Aviation Recovery taskforce has said the State should begin to lift international travel restrictions as well as the quarantine requirement on incoming airline passengers here by July 1.
The move would pave the way for summer holidays abroad and also attract tourists to Ireland.
The taskforce, which was set up by the outgoing Minister for Transport and Tourism Shane Ross earlier this month, sent an Interim Report yesterday ahead of its final report due July 10 citing “urgent” issues that needed “immediate attention.”
The group is made up of reps from the tourism industry, airlines, workers’ unions and government officials.
They have said the 14 isolation period on arrival to the country makes travel “challenging” and inhibits business related travel “which is critical for the Irish economy.”
The Interim report also warns that Ireland is significantly behind other EU countries in lifting restrictions on air passenger travel.
The taskforce also stated that in order to mitigate large scale redundancies and job losses, the government should continue the existing financial support measures including the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme to support employment where possible.
It said in order to support the lifting of quarantine and travel restrictions, the State should implement in full a national Code of Practice for Safe Air Travel.
Minister Ross said: “I welcome the publication of the Interim Report of the Aviation Recovery Taskforce and commend the members for the sense of urgency they have brought to the challenge of identifying proposals to support the recovery of a critical sector of our economy.
“Regarding the Interim Report, it very succinctly captures the huge importance of the sector to the Irish economy, and it very clearly sets out the case for taking steps to be taken to begin opening up to international travel sooner rather than later.
“There are of course important public health issues to be considered, which the Report acknowledges, and I will give the matters my priority attention and ensure that they are considered as a matter of urgency by the Government.”
