It’s the season for jet setting away to a place in the sun - but a concerning Covid spike has left many worried.
The start of the summer travel season in Europe has been marred by chaos at airports and struggles to meet demands.
On top of this the majority of European countries have already dropped all of their Covid-19 entry rules yet still confusion remains.
Below you may find some of the answers to your Covid questions for some of Ireland's favourite holiday destinations.
Spain
Fortunately the number of Covid cases in Spain have been on the decline over the last two months.
The country no longer has any Covid-19 entry requirements for anyone arriving into the country from the EU.
Holidaymakers from the UK, and other countries outside the EU, need to show proof of full vaccination, or proof of recovery, or a negative antigen or PCR test result.
After 700 days, Spain finally dropped its indoor mask wearing rule on 20 April.
Masks are no longer mandatory in the vast majority of settings - from bars and cafes to museums and cinemas.
Public transport is one exception though, as face coverings are still required on airplanes, buses, trains, metros, taxis - as well as ferries.
Rules do vary from region to region in the nation so be sure to check the Spanish Tourist Board’s Travel Safe website as it has guidelines for each of Spain's 17 autonomous regions.
Portugal
Anyone travelling to mainland Portugal would need either proof of vaccination, recovery status or a negative test result.
However, Madeira and Azores have lifted all their restrictions, regardless of vaccination status.
There has been a spike of Covid-19 cases and deaths in the country driven by the Omicron BA.5 subvariant.
Portugal’s latest outbreak has made the country a hotspot of Covid-19 in Europe and home to the second-highest coronavirus case count in the world, after Taiwan.
Italy
Italy is another country that has dropped entry rules for international travellers.
The country was amongst those worst affected by the virus when the pandemic originally started.
Despite rumours they would drop their mask mandate on public transport The Italian government on Wednesday approved measures to extend the mandate with the possible exception of planes, until 30 September.
Yet the mask-wearing requirement in cinemas, theatres, concert halls, and at indoor sporting events has been dropped.
Germany
The German Federal Foreign Office announced last week that as of June 11, all Covid-19 entry restrictions imposed to stop the spread of the virus would be provisionally lifted.
The country is currently experiencing a new wave of infections, prompting its health minister to reintroduce the requirement to wear face masks indoors to reduce transmission.
Germany’s seven-day incidence rate of new Covid infections per 100,000 people reached 472.4 on Wednesday.
However these figures may not be completely accurate as experts believe a high number of cases are going unreported.
Again the spike in infection is believed to be due to the Omicron BA.5 subvariant.
France
A number of rules for anyone travelling to France still remain.
Fully vaccinated travellers aged 12 and above must provide proof of vaccination status on entry to the country.
All passengers going to France must also complete the passenger locator form.
Children under 12 are exempt from all of these requirements.
Though the nation has largely relaxed all public health restrictions, masks have to be worn on public transport.
The same goes for flights to and from the country.
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