He had initially tested positive on Saturday (6 November).
Eamon Ryan will be travelling to COP26 tomorrow (8 November) following a negative Covid test result.
The Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications had tested positive for Covid during a PCR test on Saturday, and had cancelled plans to travel to the international climate summit in Glasgow.
In a statement, Minister Ryan described receiving a “notification from the HSE that a second test was recommended”.
“This result of this test showed that Covid-19 was not detected. The public health advice in this instance is that the case is de-notified, close contacts are informed and the person can continue about their business.”
Ryan had not been symptomatic at any point, and had taken the initial as a “precautionary measure as recommended by the organisers of COP26”.
“On receipt of the initial result he followed all HSE protocols, including self-isolation and informing close contacts”, he added.
Minister Ryan will now be joining the rest of the Irish delegates on Monday.
COP26 has been running in Glasgow since 31 October and will be wrapping up on 12 November. The conference with world leaders has inspired large-scale protests on climate change across Ireland, with marches taking place in Dublin, Belfast, and Cork.
Organisers of the event have come under fire in the past week with reports of large queues to enter the venue , and one minister being denied entrance to the venue due to lack of wheelchair accessibility.
Environmental activist Greta Thunberg had branded the conference a “failure” in a speech in Glasgow last week, and took part in large protests in the host city.
Today hundreds of thousands all over the world marched for the climate, sending a clear signal to people in power at #COP26 to protect people and planet. Our so-called “leaders” aren’t leading – THIS is what leadership looks like! #UprootTheSystem
📸: Glasgow, Oliver Kornblihtt pic.twitter.com/v9zbicTGcb— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) November 6, 2021
“Today hundreds of thousands all over the world marched for the climate, sending a clear signal to people in power at #COP26 to protect people and planet”, she wrote in a tweet.
“Our so-called “leaders” aren’t leading – THIS is what leadership looks like!”
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