Ireland has announced that it has dropped its requirement for vaccinated travelers to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival, reports Travel + Leisure. This decision makes Ireland the latest country to loosen travel restrictions, less than a week after the UK eliminated its pre-departure test requirement for vaccinated travelers. According to Ireland's Department of Health, travelers who have been fully vaccinated with an approved vaccine (including Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, and Pfizer) or who have contracted COVID-19 in the last six months and recovered will not have to show a pre-departure test. Travelers who are unvaccinated or don't have proof of recovery from COVID-19 will have to show proof of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of their arrival. Travelers to the country must also complete a passenger locator form; children ages 11 and under are exempt from testing. The new rules reverse earlier protocols put in place in December to slow the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has raised its travel warning level for Canada to its highest level, reports CNN. A Level 4 travel alert advises individuals to "avoid travel to these destinations" even if vaccinated. The CDC places a destination at Level 4 when more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents are registered in the past 28 days. Canada had previously been at Level 3 since August 30, 2021. In December, Canada issued an advisory to its citizens asking that they avoid all nonessential international travel; however, travel remains permitted for vaccinated travelers between Canada and the US.

The European Union (EU) has ended travel restrictions on flights from eight southern African countries, more than a month after imposing them to in hopes of slow the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, reports ABC News. After the variant was first discovered in southern Africa, the EU and many other nations restricted travel for visitors from that region. Since then, Omicron has become the dominant variant in the EU, making the travel ban from southern Africa a moot point. The French EU presidency announced Monday that the 27 member states agreed “to lift the emergency break to allow air travel to resume with southern African countries.” It stated that travelers from South Africa and neighboring countries will still be subject to the other health measures on vaccinations and recovery from COVID-19 that other travelers also face.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released a list of 50 US airports that will have buffer zones when wireless carriers turn on new 5G service on January 19, reports Skift. AT&T and Verizon Communications agreed to the buffer zones to reduce the risk of disruption from potential interference to sensitive airplane instruments like altimeters. They also agreed to delay deployment for two weeks, averting an aviation safety standoff. The list includes airports in Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York City, Philadelphia, and Seattle. Some major airports such as Atlanta Hartsfield–Jackson International Airport (ATL), Denver International Airport (DEN), and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) are not on the list because 5G is not yet being deployed, while others are not on the list because “5G towers are far enough away that a natural buffer exists.” Other airports not listed do not currently have the ability to allow low-visibility landings, the FAA said. It said the delay would allow it to evaluate ways to minimize disruptions, and also gives companies more time to prepare. “If there’s the possibility of a risk to the flying public, we are obligated to pause the activity, until we can prove it is safe."