People who have been vaccinated won’t have to quarantine at home when returning from UK as of 19 July, Eamon Ryan confirms

“So I think travel with the UK will become much easier particularly for those who are vaccinated from the 19."

Travel to Ireland from Britain will be “much easier” from 19 July as people who are fully vaccinated will no longer have to quarantine at home, Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan confirmed on Wednesday.

The date coincides with the implementation of the EU Digital Covid Certificate which will be rolled out across Ireland. The EU Digital Green Certificate will allow people to travel anywhere in the EU provided they can prove they have been fully vaccinated, recovered from Covid-19, or have a negative Covid-19 PCR test. While the pass came into effect throughout Europe last week, it won't be implemented in Ireland until 19 July due to delays caused by the HSE cyber attack.

Since the UK has left the EU it is not using the same certificate. However, Ryan has now said that the rules for people travelling here from Britain will be eased on the 19 July also.

As of right now a majority of people returning from travel to the UK must spend 14-days quarantining at an address they specify on a passenger locator form. Speaking to reporters at the launch of a new electric car charger on the M7 on Wednesday, Ryan said that from 19 July vaccinated people who travel here from the UK will no longer have to quarantine.

He said: “For others who don’t have the vaccination they will have to continue to abide by the home quarantine and we will continue to review that.

“We did strengthen regulations in recent weeks because of concern about the Delta variant. Because that’s here now as well as in the UK it’s not as significant.

“That was done to try and delay and hold back the arrival of the Delta variant here.

“So I think travel with the UK will become much easier particularly for those who are vaccinated from the 19."