Concern has been raised surrounding the possibility of people entering the Republic of Ireland through the North as the Government has not opted to close the Border despite the 48-hour travel ban for passengers from Britain.
The new strain of Covid-19 which is spreading rapidly through parts of the UK, which is said to be 70 per cent more infectious than the previous strain of the virus, prompted the decision and there are fears passengers will use Belfast International Airport as a way to get to Ireland, before crossing the Border into the south as a means to avoid travel restrictions.
The Government announced on Sunday evening all flights from Britain would be cancelled and only essential supply chain workers would be permitted on ferries, with an extension beyond midnight on Tuesday likely.
However, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney told RTÉ radio's Today with Claire Byrne show that a ban on cross-border travel will not be put in place but the Government guidance remains the same, non-essential travel should be avoided.
Repatriation flights have been put in place to take Irish residents home, according to Minister Coveney, adding passengers would be required to quarantine for 14-days after their arrival.
A helpline has been set up for people who need to avail of the repatriation arrangements.
DFA Travel Advice Helpline - +353 1 6131700
☎️Department of Foreign Affairs helpline for people due to travel to Ireland from Britain.
General COVID-19 Travel Advisory - Department of Foreign Affairs https://t.co/T9KX5wAT6g— Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) December 21, 2020
Following yesterday's announcement, testing centres have reported a surge in requests to book Covid-19 tests, with CodeBlue Medical in Dublin saying they received 2,000 PCR test bookings since word of the travel ban.
The bookings are coming from people arriving in Ireland and those already in the country, they said.
CodeBlue added there has been a steady increase in numbers in recent days, but "nothing on the level experienced on Sunday night".
This comes as the HSE’s Chief Clinical Officer Dr Colm Henry called on the public to reconsider their plans for Christmas.
The options for mixing with family over the coming week were “narrowing” given the recent increase in infection rates across all age groups and everybody should reconsider their Christmas plans, he urged.
“It's about reducing close contacts so the virus cannot jump from person to person.
“This strain has taken off in the south-east of England in the past four weeks, it appears to be much more transmissible and is better at evading the body's immune response - but we do not know for sure yet.”
