Ireland eases restrictions on int'l travel

Dublin, July 20 Ireland has eased Covid-19 restrictions on inbound international travellers coming from some of the European countries and the US, according to national radio and television broadcaster RTE.

From Monday, travellers from the 27 European Union (EU) member countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Britain and the US were no longer required to quarantine if they had proof of being fully vaccinated against Covid-19, having recovered from the disease, or having had a negative PCR test within 72 hours of arrival, reports Xinhua news agency citing RTE as saying.

The relaxation comes at a time when Ireland has been witnessing a notable increase in the number of confirmed cases over the last week or so.

On Monday, the Irish Department of Health reported 1,017 new confirmed cases in the country.

The five-day incidence in Ireland averages 1,159 cases per day, the highest since February 2 of this year, said the Department in a statement.

Earlier in the month, Tony Holohan, chief medical officer with the health department, said that the Delta variant of the coronavirus accounted for over 70 per cent of the new confirmed cases in the country.

Ireland has so far reported 285,581 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 5,018 deaths.