Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2020
650. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will provide a definition for essential travel from Ireland to other EU markets, specifically, for France and Spain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32625/20]
View answerThe Department of Foreign Affairs publishes Travel Advice for over 200 countries to provide an objective assessment of the risks individuals could face if travelling overseas, with a view to helping them to make informed decisions for themselves. It is based on consultation with our Embassies and Consulates on the ground, the relevant local authorities in each country and our international partners, together with our domestic partners where appropriate. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the priority of protecting public health, we have worked particularly closely with the Department of Health and the HSE.
The EU adopted a new co-ordinated approach to travel measures at the meeting of the General Affairs Council in Luxembourg on 13 October 2020. As already set out in the Living with COVID-19 Framework, the Government supports this effort to improve co-ordination within the Union and has made clear our intention to align with the new Recommendation. The Government has agreed that Ireland will implement this ‘traffic light’ approach to international travel, which applies to countries in the EU/EEA. The Department of Foreign Affairs advice for travel to these countries is now to ‘exercise a high degree of caution’. Our general advice for any other overseas travel remains ‘avoid non-essential travel’ or in some cases, ‘do not travel’. Any decision to travel to, stay in or leave a country is a responsibility of individual citizens and the Department is not in a position to deem individual trips to be essential or non-essential. Our detailed guidance is intended to help citizens make informed decisions for themselves when planning a trip overseas.
I can advise that, under the provisions of the EU Recommendation, travellers with an essential function or need should not be required to undergo quarantine while exercising their essential functions. These essential functions include:
- Workers or self-employed persons exercising critical occupations including health care workers, frontier and posted workers as well as seasonal workers as referred to in the Guidelines concerning the exercise of free movement of workers during the COVID-19 outbreak.
- Transport workers or transport service providers, including drivers of freight vehicles carrying goods
- Patients travelling for imperative medical reasons
- Pupils, students and trainees who travel abroad on a daily basis.
- Persons travelling for imperative family or business reasons
- Diplomats, staff of international organisations, military personnel and police officers, humanitarian aid workers and civil protection personnel carrying out their duties.
- Passengers in transit
- Seafarers
- Journalists when performing their duties.
Any person who wants to travel to other EU countries including France and Spain should inform themselves about any requirements in place in the destination to which they are travelling to. Testing restrictions may be imposed or may already be in place in other countries. Information on these restrictions is available on the Department’s website www.dfa.ie/travel/travel-advice/ and the new reopen.europa.eu website.
