Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 February 2021
901. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health if persons arriving at airports and ports here will be subject to a Covid-19 PCR test; if there will be a five-day follow-up PCR test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5985/21]
View answerEffective from 16 January 2021, all passengers arriving into Ireland from overseas are required to have a negative or ‘not detected’ result from a pre-departure COVID-19 RT-PCR test that was carried out no more than 72 hours prior to arrival in Ireland.
This is a mandatory requirement. Passengers will be asked to present evidence of their negative/‘not detected’ result before boarding their airplane or ferry and will be denied boarding if they cannot produce such evidence.
It is the responsibility of travellers entering Ireland from overseas to ensure that they can meet the current testing requirements.
The following categories of travellers are exempt from requiring a pre-departure test result: International Transport Workers (including workers in aviation, maritime and road haulage sectors) travelling in the course of their duties, passengers transiting on to another country without exiting the airport and children aged 6 or younger.
If a citizen has a genuine humanitarian emergency requiring urgent travel, they should contact the nearest Embassy or Consulate immediately for advice and consular assistance before commencing their journey.
The Government continues to examine full operationalisation of travel measures announced on 26 January as a matter of priority.
