Government should issue Covid travel certs immediately says Ryanair

The Government should give vaccinated people in Ireland "immediate" access to the EU digital Covid certificates allowing them to travel freely in the union, Ryanair said on Thursday.

The Government plans to implement the scheme, allowing free movement to those vaccinated, immune or with proof of negative virus tests in the EU, on July 19th.

Ryanair, the country’s biggest airline, called on the Government to allow vaccinated people in the Republic “immediate access” to the certificates, with no further delays.

More than one million vaccinated people here still await their certificates and remain “wrongfully” locked up on this island, despite confirmation last week that the Republic was ready to issue them, the airline said.

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EU countries including Spain, Poland, Germany, Croatia and others have already issued more than one million certificates, Ryanair added.

"It is unacceptable that Ireland is, as usual, lagging behind and transport minister Eamon Ryan must now immediately allow vaccinated Irish citizens to access their Covid certs so they can now travel freely and without any further unjustified delay," said the carrier.

Portal

Last week, Minister of State, Ossian Smith confirmed that the State could immediately issue certificates to more than one million Irish residents who registered for vaccination through the Health Services Executive portal.

The Minister also pointed out that the HSE had been running a pilot vaccination certificate scheme with its own staff since beginning the inoculation programme to prepare for the EU initiative.

Ryanair said it was “inexplicable” that, with fewer than 60 Covid patients in hospitals, 60 per cent of adults with their first dose and all vulnerable groups fully inoculated, that the Government continued to isolate the Republic from the rest of the EU.