Ireland to scrap testing rules for vaccinated travellers

At a meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday, the Government decided to revise travel rules for entry into Ireland.

Travellers will no longer need to show a negative Covid test (Liam McBurney/PA) (PA Wire)

Ireland is set to remove the requirement for vaccinated passengers to show a negative Covid-19 test before entering the country.

At a meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday, the Government decided to revise travel rules for entry into Ireland.

The requirement for vaccinated passengers to show either a negative PCR or professionally administered antigen test was introduced late last year following concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin said the rule was no longer needed (Damien Storan/PA) (PA Wire)

Taoiseach Micheal Martin, speaking following the Cabinet meeting, said the rule was no longer needed given the fact that the Omicron variant was now dominant in Ireland.

He said it was not “necessary because Omicron now constitutes 96% of all cases in the country”.

The agreed changes are expected to come into effect from tomorrow.

Unvaccinated travellers will still need to show a negative PCR test taken 72 hours before arrival.