Dublin, Dec 1 (IANS): The Irish government has made a negative Covid-19 test result for all people coming to Ireland mandatory from Friday.

Passengers who have been fully vaccinated against Covid or have recovered from the disease in the past six months will also be required to provide a certified negative result from an antigen test taken within 48 hours before their arrival, a statement issued by the government said.

A proof of a negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours before arrival will be required for those who have not been fully vaccinated, the statement added.

The new measure will apply for a minimum period of two weeks, it said, adding that it will be "kept under review with a view to removal as soon as possible thereafter taking account of the overall epidemiological situation."

The measure is one of the latest efforts made by the Irish government to prevent the spread of the new Covid-19 variant Omicron which was first detected in South Africa.

So far, no cases of Omicron have been reported in Ireland, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Irish government has recently put South Africa and its six neighbouring countries on a "high-risk" list, temporarily closing doors for travellers coming from these countries.

It has also ruled that all Irish residents returning home from these countries shall self-isolate for ten days with two PCR tests needed to be taken during the period.

The Irish Department of Health on Tuesday reported 5,471 new cases of Covid-19, a level only seen during the peak time of the pandemic in early January.