Thomas Gould
Question:508. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if a PCR test is needed to travel from Ireland to the UK. [16357/21]
View answerWednesday, 31 March 2021
Questions (508, 509)
Thomas Gould
Question:509. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if mandatory quarantine rules apply to those arriving from Ireland into the UK and from the UK into Ireland. [16358/21]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 508 and 509 together.
Guidance on travelling to Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic and Ireland's new mandatory hotel quarantine system is maintained on gov.ie.
At present, those travelling into Ireland, except those travelling from Northern Ireland, are required to complete a COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form and provide evidence that they have a negative or "not detected" result from a COVID-19 Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test carried out no more than 72 hours before arrival into Ireland. A legal requirement to quarantine in Ireland has also been introduced for all passengers arriving, except those whose journey originates in Northern Ireland. The requirements to complete the form, to provide appropriate evidence of testing and to quarantine apply to those travelling from Great Britain. These requirements also apply to persons who arrive via Northern Ireland and have been overseas in the 14 days prior to their arrival in Ireland.
Those travelling to Ireland who have been in a high risk Category 2 country, including those who have transited an airport in such a country, in the previous 14 days before they arrive must complete mandatory hotel quarantine. Great Britain is not currently on the list of Category 2 countries. Mandatory hotel quarantine is therefore not currently required for those travelling from Great Britain, who have not been in a Category 2 country in the 14 days prior to their arrival in Ireland.
The UK Government and the UK's devolved administrations have established testing and quarantine regulations for those travelling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, those whose journey begins in Ireland and who have remained in Ireland, or elsewhere in the Common Travel Area, for 10 days prior to travel, do not require a pre-travel PCR test to travel to any part of the UK. They are also not subject to mandatory quarantine rules once they have entered the UK, but remain subject to the local restrictions and travel advice in place.