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07th Jul 2021

Vaccine travel certs will be issued from next week

Clara Kelly

Fully vaccinated people are expected to receive their EU Digital Covid Certificate via email or letter.

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan has said that the EU Digital Covid Certificate is expected to be rolled out across Ireland from next week.

1.8 million people who have received both of their vaccines are expected to be issued the cert in the coming days.

People who got their Covid vaccine from the HSE are expected to get the cert via email, meanwhile, people who got their jab with a GP or pharmacy will receive a letter in the post with a code that can be scanned onto a smartphone.

Speaking to reporters at Government Buildings on Tuesday, Ryan said: “Next week they’ll start to be issued by email and by post and for everyone that needs it for international travel before 19 July.”

The EU Digital Green Certificate will allow people to travel anywhere in the EU provided they can prove they have been fully vaccinated, recovered from Covid-19, or have a negative Covid-19 PCR test.

While the pass came into effect throughout Europe last week, it won’t be implemented in Ireland until 19 July due to delays caused by the HSE cyber attack.

Ryan said that on Monday that we need to get away from “shaming” as the EU Digital Green Covid Certificate is still “on track” for a 19 July rollout in Ireland.

Speaking on Newstalk’s The Hard Shoulder, he said that there is a need to “restore connectivity” and stop “blaming all sorts of different people” for the impact of Covid-19.

“We need to allow Irish people to meet their families and also people on business need to fly – to travel and meet their customers and so on – and people need to go on holidays,” he said.

“But we have to do it safely and the Covid cert will help that. We need to get away from this whole shaming thing that maybe occurred last summer, where we start blaming all sorts of different people for what is happening with the virus.”

He added that Ireland is still on track to reopen aviation, however, there is a need to “be careful” and “monitor” the situation.

“Covid does not do certainty. It is constantly changing but at the moment we are on track to reopen aviation on the 19 [July],” he said.