As of Monday July 19 non-essential international travel to Ireland has resumed. This comes as welcome news as families can be reunited with their relatives after being separated since the dawn of Covid-19 in March 2020.
Dublin Airport began to look a bit more normal than it had previously, with about 22,000 travelers passing through on Monday – though this is nearly 90% lower than the summer of 2019. It is expected that travel will pick up as more people become vaccinated and are better prepared to travel.
If travelling from the US or the UK with proof of vaccination or proof of having recovered from Covid-19 in the past six months then quarantine will not be required. Alternatively, for passengers not vaccinated a negative PCR test is required to be taken three days before arrival, with self-quarantine for 14 days at home.
With international travel returning and bars and restaurants set to open up indoors on July 26, Ireland’s business owners will finally be back to some sense of normalcy. However, the government has yet to decide if there will be certain measures like a curfew to be in effect in the bars and restaurants, though they have guaranteed that there will be no time limits imposed on customers.