AS OF Saturday, January 16, all passengers arriving in Ireland will need to provide proof of a negative coronavirus test in order to enter the country.
Passengers will need to be tested within a maximum of 72 hours prior to their arrival, whether they're arriving by plane or by ferry.
In order to ensure proper adherence to the new rules, An Garda Síochána and the Border Management Unit at Dublin Airport will be ramping up their checks, and turning away those who don't meet the appropriate criteria.
According to RTÉ News, certain groups will be excluded from the new requirements though, including children under the age of six, international transport workers, and gardaí members carrying out their duties.
The new rules come just a few days after Ireland announced that anyone travelling from the UK or South Africa had to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test, in an attempt to try and reduce the risk of spreading mutant strains of the virus.
Currently, those arriving from the UK wand South Africa must self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival in Ireland, even if they produce a negative Covid-19 test result.
It's understood that the UK variant is 70% more transmissible than the original strain of coronavirus.
Earlier this week, Taoiseach Micheál Martin revealed that the UK variant accounted for nearly half of all Covid-19 cases currently in Ireland.
