Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary joined Anton on Friday's edition of The Hard Shoulder to explain his open letter to Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan, imploring the Government to open up the aviation industry further.

O'Leary told the show that there was "chaos at the airport yesterday", and that he's not sure how dangerous this Delta variant will turn out to be.

The Department of Justice sent a statement to The Hard Shoulder this evening, saying the following:

The Irish Government has decided that the EU Digital COVID Certificate will be implemented from 19 July 2021. It is understood that the Department of Transport has communicated this fact to all carriers.

Until 19 July it is mandatory to present a negative RT-PCR test (taken with 72 hours of arrival into Ireland) to all carriers before boarding a flight for Ireland. There is also a legal obligation on all carriers to check that passengers have the required evidence of a negative RT-PCR test before allowing them to board.

Officers at the Border Management Unit are fully aware of what the EU Digital COVID Certificate looks like, having been involved in testing of the regime on site in preparation for introduction on 19 July next.

The EU Digital COVID Certificate is proof (in digital or paper format) that a person has either:

• been vaccinated against COVID-19;
• received a negative test result; or
• recovered from COVID-19 in the last 6 months

At present and until 19th July, all passengers (unless exempt) require evidence of a negative RT-PCR test administered within 72hrs of arrival into Ireland. Border Management Unit will accept a Digital COVID Cert as evidence of this.

The Department does not comment on any individual cases, but if any person was stopped by the Border Management Unit yesterday who was in possession of a Digital COVID Certificate, it is likely that the Certificate was granted on the basis that the person was fully vaccinated.

The person may have been unable to provide evidence that they also had a negative PCR administered within 72 hours of their arrival in Ireland.