Ireland logged a further 8,071 cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, according to the Department of Health, as mandatory mask-wearing by law ended this week.
3,300 cases were confirmed by PCR test, while 4,771 positive antigen test results were uploaded to the HSE portal. The Department has cautioned that self-registered test results are not directly comparable with laboratory PCR-confirmed cases.
There were 616 patients hospitalised with the virus as of this morning, with 48 people in intensive care. A total of 83,108 PCR tests were completed over the past seven days, with a positivity rate of 29.2 per cent.
It comes as most remaining Covid-19 rules eased in recent days, including mandatory mask-wearing in certain settings.
Since Monday, mask-wearing can no longer be enforced by law, however, public health advice recommends that masks continue to be worn on public transport and in healthcare settings.
Rules in schools have also changed, with social distancing and pods ended, along with staggered break times. The test and trace system has also been rolled back.
Changes have additionally been made in the wider testing system, with PCR tests now only recommended for over-55s and people deemed medically vulnerable.
Close contacts who do not show symptoms do not need to seek a test, unless they are a household close contact working in a healthcare setting.
Isolation rules for those who test positive for the virus or who display any of its symptoms remain in place, while the Digital Covid Certificate remains a requirement for international travel.
While mandatory mask-wearing requirements have lifted, some employers can continue to require their staff to wear a mask and are within their rights to do so, according to an employment law solicitor.
