Tennyson Leo Varadkar has indicated that South American travelers will not be barred from entering Ireland because there are no direct flights from that continent.

South American travelers have been barred from entering the United Kingdom amid concerns about a new variant of the virus, which was first identified in Brazil.

The new UK travel ban went into effect at 4am

There were some concerns that the Brazilian variant might become more contagious.

Scientists analyzing the Brazilian variant believe that the mutations it shares with the new South African strain are associated with a rapid increase in cases in areas where the disease is already prevalent.

The National Public Health Emergency Team said during a briefing yesterday that no South American variant of the strain was found in Ireland.

Travelers from South American countries are transported to other European Union countries or the United Kingdom before arriving in Ireland.

When asked about the travel ban to the United Kingdom and whether Ireland complies with the regulations, Varadkar said:

“There are no direct flights from South America, so it won’t happen, but anyone entering the state from anywhere in the world this weekend will have to produce proof of a negative PCR.”

Because South American countries are listed in gray on the map of the European traffic light system, travelers from countries such as Brazil are required to restrict their movements within 14 days of arriving in the country.

This period can be reduced if one performs another CRP test after five days, which gives a negative result.