The Irish government on Thursday tightened its Covid-19 travel restrictions by imposing quarantines on travelers from major holiday markets Italy and Greece, angering the country’s dominant airlines Ryanair and Aer Lingus.

The latter said it was concerned by the fact the government had repeatedly indicated in recent weeks that it planned to adopt a more liberal European Commission proposal, but instead cut back the number of countries exempt from quarantine.

Ryanair, which is taking a case to the Irish High Court challenging the legality of the quarantine rules, said the aviation and tourism sectors “cannot afford any further delays or indecision.”

Ireland had initially waived quarantine for travelers from countries with lower Covid-19 rates, but as its 14-day infection rate surged to above 50 cases per 100,000, the government said only places half that rate would be exempt.

The new “Green List,” which goes into effect on Monday, allows travelers arriving from just seven countries to avoid quarantine: Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

source reuters