Ireland reconsiders quarantine

UNVACCINATED Britons could face longer quarantine periods when entering Ireland due to rising concerns about the spread of the Indian/delta variant, a minister has said.

The variant, which was first identified in India, is now the dominant strain in the UK and proving to be 60 per cent more transmissible than the previously dominant alpha strain. In Northern Ireland, the Public Health Agency said last week that 111 probable and confirmed cases of the Indian variant have been detected throughout all 11 local council areas, 28 of them in Kilkeel in Co Down.

Simon Coveney, Ireland’s minister for foreign affairs, told RTÉ’S This Week: “I don’t want to announce anything today but we are looking at this seriously. Potentially longer quarantine periods particularly for people who aren’t vaccinated.”