The system comes into effect here next week.
As of midnight on Sunday, the EU Traffic Light system for international travel will come into effect in Ireland.
This means that passengers arriving from some EU countries won't have to quarantine from next week, if they can prove they've tested negative for Covid-19 in the three days before they travelled.
The European Centre for Disease Control combined indicator map for international travel. Image: ECDCHere's how it works:
Orange.
Passengers arriving from countries branded orange won't have to quarantine if they can prove they've tested negative within the three days prior to arrival.
Red.
Red passengers still have to restrict their movements for two weeks, but plans to bring in testing at airports will see this eased.
Green.
Passengers from 'Green' regions are no longer required to quarantine on arrival in Ireland.
Minister Eamon Ryan announced the changes in his opening address to the Oireachtas Transport Committee this afternoon.
He said children under the age of six will be exempt from the restrictions. The Government will also align with the EU list of passengers who are exempt from travel restrictions - largely healthcare and essential workers.
He also warned that anyone arriving in Ireland must follow the national coronavirus restrictions that are in place.
Minister Ryan said the aviation industry is a “critical enabler of the rest of the economy” and said the Government viewed it as crucial for economic recovery in the coming months.
“We all want the same thing,” he said. “We want to have fewer restrictions on international travel and, notwithstanding the very serious upturn in COVID-19 cases across Europe in recent weeks, we need to be preparing the ground now for when that improves and for a time when it makes sense to have people moving more freely around again,” he said.
How a country's status is decided.
There are three main criteria used when by the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) when picking a country's status.
- The number of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people over a 14-day period.
- The positivity rate of the COVID-19 tests carried out in the past week.
- The number of COVID-19 tests carried out per 100,000 people.
Under the plan, regions will be designated green if they have a 14-day rate below 25 and a positivity rate below 4%.
Regions with a 14-day below 50 will be designated orange provided their positivity rate is above 4%; however, they can have a 14-day rate as high as 150 if their positivity rate is less than 4%.
All other regions will be designated red.
