Passport applications plummet due to Covid-19 travel bans

Passport Office staff have been redeployed to other roles including contract tracing for the HSE.

The number of passport applications fell significantly in March as travel restrictions were put in place by Governments around the globe in an attempt to stem the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

In another indicator of the dramatic collapse in global travel, the number of passport applications in Ireland has fallen by more than 150,000 in the past three months.