There won't be 'tit-for-tat' with Germany over COVID-19 travel restrictions, the Foreign Affairs Minister has insisted.
From today, air passengers arriving in Germany from Ireland will need to have had a negative COVID-19 test less than 48 hours before flying.
It applies to all passengers except those under six years of age.
URGENT TRAVEL ADVISORY
From 08 January, all air passengers from Ireland to Germany, with the exception of those under 6, must produce a negative COVID test result less than 48 hours old before boarding the plane.
Intending travellers are advised to contact their carrier pic.twitter.com/ecPRpbmNvf— Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) January 7, 2021
Speaking on The Pat Kenny Show, Minister Coveney said Ireland won't be introducing a similar restriction for people arriving here from Germany at the moment.
He said: “This isn’t a tit-for-tat, that’s not how these things work… it works on the basis of public health advice.
“Just because Germany are doing something that impacts on travel from Ireland to Germany, it doesn’t mean we reciprocate.
“This is two friendly countries working together on the basis of public health advice - that’s the way the European Union should be working.
"That’s the way we work as well with the UK, by the way - as soon as we can free up international travel safely we’ll do that.”
From midnight, people arriving in Ireland from either Great Britain or South Africa will also face a new testing requirement.
They'll need to have evidence that they tested negative for coronavirus within the three days before their arrival here.
Minister Coveney today said that requirement may be extended to other EU countries if there's a higher level of COVID-19 risk than usual.
