Up to 400,000 Irish people in the UK will be allowed to return home to visit relatives and friends for the first time in six months Ireland Prepare to lift the strictest border controls in Europe.
Since the implementation of border restrictions in January, only people with important reasons such as transportation, health or attending funerals have been allowed to enter the country.
According to EU policy, travel from Ireland to other parts of the EU will be opened on July 19. Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said that this will also include travel from the UK.
“I think it will be easier to travel with the UK, especially for those who have been vaccinated from the 19th,” Ryan told RTÉ.
He also stated that those who have arrived from the UK who have been vaccinated will no longer need to be quarantined, although this has not yet been confirmed as a government policy.
Nonetheless, as Irish families seized the opportunity to go home, travel consultations surged.
Google Trends shows that Aer Lingus’ search volume increased by 550%, and Friday’s search volume for general search phrases increased by 650%: “From the British Covid to Ireland”.
A spokesperson for the ferry operator Stena Line said that demand on the company’s routes is now “above 2019 levels” and expects that once the government officially relaxes restrictions, demand on the Wales-to-Ireland route will see the same increase.
They added that the company has been informed that the Irish government will approve NHS vaccination. “They confirmed to Stena Line that starting from July 19th, fully vaccinated British residents will be able to take unlimited leisure travel. NHS vaccination certificates will be accepted.”
However, there are still doubts about the non-vaccinated policy, which makes families with children fearful.
The spokesperson said: “For other people who have not been vaccinated, they will have to continue to comply with the family quarantine regulations, and we will continue to review this.”
The relaxation of border restrictions has given a sigh of relief to many Irish people in the UK, some of whom have not seen their families for two years.
Some believe that easing border restrictions unfairly focuses attention on Irish people on holiday at home, rather than on the large number of expats eager to return home to visit their families in the United Kingdom, the United States and elsewhere.
“I do hope someone can speak up for the Irish in Britain, because we are an important part of the British population,” said Barry O’Leary, who lives in Somerset, who has not seen him since January 2. Widower’s father. 2020.
“It’s very sad because it used to be very easy to fly from Bristol and reach Dublin city centre in less than an hour and a half. The person I was most disappointed with was my father,” he added.
updated Suggested by the Irish Government It is stated that children still need a negative PCR test to enter. “Children between 7 and 17 years of age must have a negative RT-PCR test to enter Ireland, even if they are fully vaccinated or recovered adults. Children 6 years and younger do not need to undergo RT-PCR testing before travelling to Ireland ,”it says.
