Interim Covid vaccine certificates to be launched for NI travellers

Travellers from Northern Ireland will be able to apply for digital Covid-19 vaccine certificates at home from Saturday morning.

It is the first phase in a transition to a new Covid Certification Service.

Those travelling from Northern Ireland between 20 and 25 July can access a downloadable certificate and QR code which offers security against fraud.

Anyone travelling after 25 July should wait for the launch of the app next week.

Travellers still have to adhere to the testing and isolation requirements on their return.

Each adult applying must create an account and apply for themselves - they cannot apply for others.

Travellers are advised to check the requirements of the country you are visiting.

Details of how to apply for the interim scheme are available on the NI Direct website.

Dr Eddie O'Neill, from the Department of Health, told the BBC's Evening Extra programme that as of 17:00 BST the interim solution for applications for travel on 19 July had been closed.

"As of Saturday morning, we will be standing up a booking service for those travelling between 20 to 25 inclusive," he said.

He said these applications would be processed over the weekend.

Applicants will be able to download their certificate from Monday.

Dr O'Neill said that the department was confident the app would be ready early next week as developers are "working all weekend on it".

"People will have their identity verified and we will match that information to our vaccination records," he said.

He added that the app had been formatted to the specification from the EU and World Health Organization.

"They will detail when the vaccination was given, the batch numbers, manufacturers and also a barcode which can be scanned to verify those details with our secure digital certificate," he said.

"That meets EU regulations so they should be able to be used across Europe and in the Republic of Ireland," he added.

Hard copies of certificates can still be requested via telephone on 0300 200 7814 from Tuesday, 20 July however this process can take up to 10 days and you should factor this into your travel plans. Certificates will be posted to your home address.

On Thursday, the Department of Health announced that people who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in the UK will no longer have to self-isolate when they arrive into Northern Ireland from an amber country from Monday, 19 July.

The NI Executive previously set 26 July as the date for easing travel rules.

But the department also announced that the Balearic Islands and British Virgin Islands are to be added to the amber list.

Another 1,380 people tested positive for coronavirus on Friday. That compares with 1,083 people in the previous 24-hour period.

A total of 136,607 people in Northern Ireland have had a confirmed diagnosis of the virus since the pandemic began.

On Friday, 92 patients with Covid-19 were being treated in hospitals, up from 80 on Thursday.