Ireland is set to introduce new testing rules for all arrivals in response to the new Omicron variant.

The Government has agreed on new rules that will see all travellers entering Ireland required to show a negative result on a professionally administered antigen test 48 hours before arrival - or on a PCR test 72 hours before arrival.

It is understood industry figures were informed on Thursday night that the rules will come into effect at midnight on Sunday, December 5, 2021.

The changes to the rules, which also apply to travellers from Great Britain, come as the Omicron variant continues to cause concerns worldwide.

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Ireland has so far confirmed one case of the new variant while Scotland hit 13 Omicron variant cases in the latest Covid-19 update.

Scotland's first nine cases - which were identified earlier in the week - are connected to an event on November 20, the Scottish Government said.

Wales has not confirmed any cases of the Omicron Covid-19 variant so far.

Meanwhile, the UK Health Security Agency confirmed seven further cases in England as of December 2 - bringing the total number of Omicron cases reported so far to 29.