MINISTER FOR HEALTH Stephen Donnelly has today announced that the current Covid-19 Passenger Locator Form will move to an online process next week.

Regulations underpinning the move to an online form were signed by Donnelly today and will come into effect on Wednesday, 26 August.

It is a legal requirement for passengers arriving in Ireland from overseas to complete a Covid-19 Passenger Locator Form.

The form is to be used to facilitate a system of follow up checks to make sure the details entered are correct. The form also ensures more accurate contact tracing, should it be necessary. 

The government continues to advise Irish citizens and residents against all non-essential international travel. 

Travel to a very limited set of locations, which are on the green list, is exempt from this advice.

Passengers arriving into Ireland from overseas are asked to restrict their movements for 14 days unless arriving from one of the green-listed countries with a “normal precautions” travel advisory from the Department of Foreign Affairs.

“The public health advice remains that all non-essential travel overseas should be avoided, but we understand that some people need to travel for essential personal and family reasons,” Donnelly said. 

Today’s change is aimed to facilitate this travel and make the completion of the Covid-19 Passenger Locator Form easier for those who need to travel. 

“Importantly we are rolling out an enhanced system of engagements with passengers, which will include issuing targeted public health advice by text message,” Donnelly added.

“Completion of this form helps our public health officials carry out follow-up checks on those arriving into the State. It also facilitates contact tracing efforts in the event of a suspected or confirmed case of Covid-19 on a flight or ship that has landed in Ireland,” he said.

“The government still advises passengers who arrive into Ireland from non-green list countries to restrict their movements for 14 days. This is to limit the possible importing of Covid-19 and onward transmission of the disease to their families, communities and workplaces.”