Both Dublin Airport and Malaga Airport played host to hundreds of Irish tourists this weekend as they flocked to the Costa del Sol.
Many Irish tourists said that they planned to spend one to two months in Spain and to work remotely from the Costa Del Sol to escape ongoing COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the Irish government and the NPHET.
This past Saturday marked the first weekend that the ban on non-essential travel was lifted throughout Europe following the July 1 introduction of the EU digital Covid Certificate.
The newly introduced certificate program allows for citizens of member states to travel throughout participating European countries without having to quarantine upon arrival. Certificates will show that travelers have been fully vaccinated.
The so-called “Covid Passports” are being hailed as a saving grace for the European tourism industry.
Ireland, however, is one of the only countries that did not open up for international travel on July 1. Instead, travel into and out of Ireland without mandatory quarantine will have to wait until July 19. The Irish government has yet to announce details on when Irish citizens will be able to apply for the travel certificates, blaming the delay on the recent HSE cyber attack.
However, Irish citizens experienced no trouble when traveling to Spain’s Costa del Sol this weekend once they provided a negative PCR test and a copy of their HSE vaccination card.
Last night Irish law enforcement reminded citizens that it is still illegal to travel outside the country for non-essential purposes despite this weekend’s mass exodus and changes to travel restrictions for other European countries.
