Security News > 2021 > July > Ireland Joins EU Covid Travel Pass System After Ransomware Attack Delay
Ireland dramatically loosened international travel restrictions on Monday, joining an EU-wide pandemic passport scheme weeks later than the rest of the bloc after a ransomware attack hobbled healthcare IT systems.
All EU member states were connected to a matching digital Covid certificate system on July 1.
The system uses a QR code to verify whether the bearer is vaccinated with an approved jab, recently recovered from coronavirus, or has received a negative test result.
Ireland's participation was delayed after its healthcare IT systems were paralysed by a ransomware attack in mid-May. On May 14 the republic's health authority was forced to shut down its computer systems after what one government minister described as "Possibly the most significant cybercrime attack on the Irish State".
In a Sunday evening statement the Irish government said over 1.1 million travel certificates have now been emailed to residents, with an additional 600,000 sent by post.
Ireland has suffered 5,018 deaths from coronavirus according to latest official figures.
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