London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

COVID-19: Britons must take coronavirus test before travelling to Ireland

COVID-19: Britons must take coronavirus test before travelling to Ireland

Failure to produce a negative test result could mean a fine of up to €2,500 (£2,261) and/or imprisonment for up to six months.

Visitors to Ireland will have to produce a negative COVID-19 test taken within the previous 72 hours, as the country's government brings in a raft of tough new restrictions.

The requirement for a PCR test will initially apply to travellers from Great Britain and South Africa - who until Friday night are banned from entering Ireland.

The new arrangements will begin on Saturday before being extended to all countries.

However, even with a negative test result, visitors must still self-isolate for 14 days. Failure to produce the negative test result could mean a fine of up to €2,500 (£2,261) and/or imprisonment for up to six months.


Ireland has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases due to a loosening of restrictions in the run-up to Christmas and the arrival of the more contagious variant of the virus, which was first detected in the UK.

Of the positive cases that had arrived from Britain in December, 41.3% had been the new variant, said Prime Minister Micheal Martin.

The country is already in its top tier (Level 5) lockdown, but continuing record daily case numbers meant new restrictions had become an inevitability.

Besides the new travel requirements, the country's schools will now remain shut for the remainder of January (except for final-year students), and non-essential construction projects, previously permitted, will have to shut.

Non-essential retailers will no longer be allowed provide a "click-and-collect" service, and will be restricted to delivery only.

Mr Martin said "we simply have to suppress this surge, and flatten the curve once again", and warned of the "tremendous harm that can be done if we let our guard down in any way".

Today's new measures will remain in place until at least 31 January.


A woman walks past a closed bar in Dublin. File photo


Meanwhile, there are suggestions bars and restaurants in Ireland are likely to remain shut until the end of March due to coronavirus restrictions.

When asked about those establishments, Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar: "If I was running a business now, I would be thinking that it's a probability that I'll be closed until the end of March."

Current public health measures are due to be reviewed at the end of January, but Mr Varadkar said the country was not going to be "out of the woods" by then.

Analysis: The difficulty with this kind of arrangement remains Northern Ireland


Critics call it a case of shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted, but finally visitors to Ireland will have to show they've been tested for COVID.

There had been calls for this measure as far back as the first wave, and opposition politicians have said it's too little, too late.

From Saturday, visitors from Britain will have to provide a negative PCR test result, taken within the previous 72 hours.

Even then, a two-week isolation period beckons. But as always, the difficulty with this kind of arrangement remains Northern Ireland.

There is no requirement for a test to enter Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK.

As seen during the Brexit negotiations, the open border between North and South is sacred to the Dublin government, and it will not contemplate any form of checks there.

Theoretically, there is nothing to stop someone circumventing Ireland's new rules by flying into Belfast and driving south.

When I asked Ireland's prime minister about this challenge, he admitted "it is a problem".

He spoke of continuing engagement with the Northern Ireland Executive, but as his transport minister Eamon Ryan added: "Stormont will have to make their own call."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×