INDIA AND IRAN are among five new countries to be added to the mandatory hotel quarantine list after the bank holiday weekend.

Costa Rica, Georgia, India, Iran and Mongolia are to be included in the list from Tuesday, 4 May.

Passengers who arrive in Ireland from those countries after 4am on Tuesday will be required to quarantine in a designated hotel.

From today, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, San Marino, Monaco, Wallis and Futuna Islands, and Moldova are no longer included on the list.

Minister of Health Stephen Donnelly said that the government “continues to advise against all non-essential international travel at this time”.

“Protecting public health remains the key priority of Government. The scenes we are witnessing in India are distressing and a devastating reminder to us all of the severe illness and death Covid-19 can cause,” Donnelly said.

“The government will continue to act to protect the population from variants of concern and take decisions that reinforce Ireland’s biosecurity.”

People who travel to Ireland from a country not on the designated list must have tested negative for Covid-19 before their departure and quarantine at home.

The rate of the virus has surged in India in recent days as the death toll surpassed 200,000 people, with hospitals facing significant pressure.

The sharp increase has been attributed to a new variant and large gatherings.

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Passengers coming to Ireland from India and other countries on the designated list must book and pay for mandatory hotel quarantine before their arrival.

Europe, Africa, Asia, North America and South America all have countries which appear on the list.

The mandatory hotel quarantine lasts a minimum of ten days and can be extended if a person tests positive for Covid-19 while they are isolating.

Leaving the hotel without authorisation or resisting the quarantine period are criminal offences that can carry a fine of up to €2,000 and/or one month’s imprisonment.

There are some exemptions on who is required to quarantine in a hotel, including people who have documents to prove they have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, parents travelling with newborn babies, and certain essential workers.