Amid the recent gloom over the spread of the Omicron COVID variant and resulting dramatic increase in those testing positive for it, there is suddenly some good news from some top destinations. Tourism Ireland said it welcomes news that Ireland is lifting additional pre-testing requirements for travel to the island that were introduced to counter the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID.
For visitors arriving in the Republic of Ireland as of Thursday Jan. 6, vaccinated travelers with a valid Digital COVID Certificate or another valid proof of recent infection or vaccination will not need a test. Unvaccinated travelers will need a “not detected” PCR test result taken within 72 hours of their arrival into Ireland.
These new regulations are effective immediately for the Republic of Ireland: Vaccinated or recovered travelers into Ireland will be required to present evidence of a valid Digital Covid Certificate or other acceptable proof of vaccination/previous infection prior to travel. Travelers who are not vaccinated or recovered will be required to present evidence of a not-detected RT-PCR test carried out no more than 72 hours before their arrival into Ireland.
Fully vaccinated travelers arriving in Northern Ireland after 4 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 7 need not present a pre-departure test certificate to the airline. They will still need to present a passenger locator form. In order to complete this, the traveler must book a post-arrival (day two) test. Self-isolation will no longer be required while waiting for a negative result. As of 4 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 9, fully vaccinated travelers may take a faster, cheaper lateral flow test rather than a PCR, to be taken on the day of arrival or one of the two following days.
“Tourism Ireland very much welcomes the news that visitors will no longer be required to take a pre-travel COVID test before entry to the island of Ireland,” said Alison Metcalfe, executive vice president-North America & Australia/NZ. “The health and safety of all our visitors continues to be the priority, and we will ensure they are protected alongside a very warm Irish welcome and a great vacation experience. Our message—and that of the entire Irish tourism industry—is very simple: we cannot wait to roll out the green carpet and welcome back visitors from the U.S.”
In 2019, Ireland welcomed almost 11.3 million overseas visitors to the island of Ireland, delivering tourism revenues of over $6.8 billion. That same year 1.7 million people from the U.S. visited Ireland, delivering revenue of around $1.9 billion for the economy. For more information, visit www.Ireland.com.
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