The UK travel ban will be replaced with strict health regulations, Transport Minister Eamon Ryan says.
He says the current ban 'can't continue forever and a day'.
Minister Ryan said travel between here and the UK is still needed - for both essential purposes and freight & haulage reasons.
A temporary ban on flights and ferries from the UK was extended until the end of the month following this week's Cabinet meeting.
However, the Green Party leader said the ban was an 'emergency response' due to the situation with the new COVID-19 strain in Britain.
He said: "What we likely will do... and it's not finalised... is introduce further, more detailed regulations around all that travel.
"That's what the European Commission was recommending - rather than having a complete, across-the-board ban, you regulate for very specific circumstances."
He said there's already been a 'dramatic' drop in the numbers of people travelling - with Ireland having one of the highest reductions in Europe.
