alserire

You don't have to because you won't be checked in the North. So why would you do it?

You can be sure people flying to Belfast from the UK coming south won't be getting tested or filling in forms

Kgmm77

Do you generally pick and choose which laws you break based on whether you'll get caught?

masmadrid

*IANAL*

Reading the new Health (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2021, I can't find any mention of antigen/lateral flow etc. Only PCR. I believe the bill allows enforced quarantine at designated facilities for travellers who arrive without a negative PCR, and by absence of mention of LFD/antigen, requires a PCR for travellers

I couldn't find a Bill nor Act regarding the change for Friday, so I'm a bit confused. Did they make it up, then decide the actual law will be the contents of this Bill...?

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2021/155/

full text:

https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireac...ed/b15521d.pdf

alserire

When they're this ludicrous it's a no brainer.

Frankly the Irish government are on very shaky legal grounds with this. The CTA is exactly that. Applying laws to travel to certain parts of it is dodgy.

As for the border. People cross it every day for work and other reasons. You think they fill in locator forms and isolate for two days and get a PCR test? They don't because it's insane.

I presume you don't actually live on the island of Ireland. Because if you did you'd know all this,

alserire

It's a mess. Legally they may not even have the power to do this. I suspect they're hoping no one notices that the law won't be passed till next week. If indeed at all because they may well reverse course in a fortnight. Varadker already saying new restrictions are not necessary

MDTyKe

I'll be flying into DUB (to drive up to NI) from outside the CTA. I need Irish PLF + test + UK PLF + UK 2-day test. When I called to try and figure out where to get a test, the clinic in Newry advised me to give a random hotel address in ROI and get on with it.

masmadrid

Very interesting.

I almost want to book a flight this weekend to see if Ryanair are complying with actual law (i.e. if they demand test results), or rather complying with statements from Government ministers/websites.

bisonrav

I've got an FR booked to Dublin on the 9th, so will maybe do it and see what happens with the Ryanair processing. Generally their attitude is to push compliance onto the passenger and you sign a disclaimer saying you'll assume liabilities on their behalf. I'd imagine EI will take a more traditional approach.

Anyone know if there are transit exemptions?

I'm hoping this dissolves under scrutiny, but Covid management is a lot of decision making with partial information and the public baying for your head on a stick if you get it wrong, so what exactly do people expect? I have a lot of sympathy for the politicians, even those I generally disagree with.

alserire

they’re right. There’s no border. So how can there be restrictions that need to be followed? As noted. Thousands cross every day. They’re not obeying any restrictions. Why would they?

Kgmm77

You presume wrong. I was brought up in a border community, crossed the border at least twice a day for decades and still do so on a regular basis to see family on both sides.

More importantly I’m also conscious border communities have consistently had the highest rates of Covid on the island for the last 12 months plus, precisely because people from either side have been exploiting loopholes.

so, I’ll stand by my comments thanks.

alserire

The border is a loophole now?

Wow. Might as well just throw the Good Friday Agreement out altogether.

Tell me, do friends and family isolate and fill out forms and get tests every time they cross the border?

Thought not.

We either have a common travel area or we don't. I think we do. So do the UK. The Irish government wants to bin that. They shouldn't be allowed.

DELLAS

Border community resident here and work with people that cross it twice a day . Such a load of nonsense when one of my colleagues can go for a weekend to Scotland or England come back to BHD then work with me on a Monday no checks no tests . Yet if I want to do the same I have to do a test and PLF . Completely useless rules by the Irish government pure window dressing. Nothing to do with years of starving the health service and closing hospitals of course As the saying goes its Irish ...

Thank god NI is still part of the UK at least we have a way out of this nonsense .

Kgmm77

I was talking about international travel, I tend to agree on the CTA, it’s inconsistent.

But to be specific, when I talked about loopholes, I give the example of someone flying from abroad into NI transiting to RoI. No requirement to do NI Day 2 PCR as in transit, but technically required to do pre-flight test from tomorrow. I don’t accept in this scenario doing neither the NI Day 2 nor the pre-arrival test is either acceptable or legal, regardless of whether the Gardai will be sitting on the border checking anyone coming from Aldergrove.

I can however understand annoyance where people are required to double up on testing (e.g. flying to RoI with a final destination in NI).

As for the GFA, spare me, please. It’s the Irish equivalent of Godwin’s law.

u01sss3

I hope this requirement to provide a negative test from the UK is kicked into touch. I'm flying to Dublin from Edinburgh then from there to the US (overnight in DUB). Two tests in two days (Ireland/US) on the way out then both Irish/UK tests on the way back isn't cheap and is quite a hassle given it all seems to have been done on a whim from all parties.
Edit: has the Irish government clarified what a professional test is and whether tests taken in a video appointment would be valid?

u01sss3

I wonder what an established operator even means.