Ireland temporarily suspended visa-free entrance to South African passport holders amid the emergence of the country’s new COVID-19 variant.
Cobh, County Cork, Ireland.
Irish Minister for Justice Helen McEntee also banned a number of South American countries. Travellers will not be able to gain access except for in exceptional circumstances.
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Uruguay have all been banned, as well as South Africa.
The new ruling is in place until March 5. The country’s national lockdown, which is currently at Level 5, has also been extended until March.
‘Anyone wishing to travel from these countries for essential purposes must apply for a visa online, and these will be considered with assistance from the relevant Irish embassy on a case by case basis,’ a spokesman for the Minister said.
‘Generally, only applications for long-stay visas granted for essential purposes are being considered.’
A number of tighter travel restrictions have been implemented in light of the country’s Level 5 lockdown. Quarantine at a designated facility for people who arrive in Ireland without a negative PCR test taken in the past 72 hours is now mandatory.
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