Find out about Covid restrictions before you leave home

Don’t get so caught up with the joy of travelling that you forget to find out what Covid restrictions are in force in your destination.

“Every country has its own rules and requirements. These tend to be either PCR or antigen tests. Be aware too that in some destinations you can’t use an express PCR test, it has to be one that is sent to a lab,” advises Laura O’Kane, marketing manager at testing services provider Randox.

When Covid-19 restrictions lifted here at the end of January, it seems the first thing many people did was book a holiday. Destinations special report looks at how holiday-goers seem determined to make up for lost time.

[ The Irish Times ePaper ]

The company has 16 test centres on the island of Ireland, six in the North and 10 in the South, including at Dublin and Cork airports.

Booking is simple. You select the location of your choice, and the test you require. “When you turn up all you need is ID,” she says.

Appointments take just 10 minutes to carry out and most people choose to do them the day before travel. Some countries require visitors to have had a test taken within the previous 24-hour period.

Randox charges €35 for a rapid antigen test and €90 for an express PCR for which results are back within one to three hours.

Government site

Many of its customers book their test as soon as they book their travel. Others like to wait until the week before to book it, in case of flight changes and cancellations, says Sophie Boyd, Randox’s business development team lead.

"The most important advice is for people to familiarise themselves with Gov.ie and their destination government's site," she adds.

Booking your holiday through a travel agent or tour operator helps too, says Topflight’s Michelle Anderson.

“They are dealing with travel restrictions on a daily basis and will know exactly what you need to do when travelling to your destination. It’s all part of the overall service that you get from the industry,” she says.

Make sure to take out travel insurance, “and do it at the time of booking,” she adds. “You don’t want to forget it. Ensure too that the policy you get includes good Covid cover. Fingers crossed you won’t need it but it’s important to have.”