Phased return to workplaces underway
Covid restrictions on workers have been lifted and staff can return to the office on a phased basis from Monday.
However, trade unions and opposition parties are calling for staff to be given the option to work remotely into the future.
Bernard Harbor from the Fórsa trade union said remote working has benefits for individuals, employers and society.
Employers are being advised to consult with staff before planning a return to the workplace.
Meanwhile, optimism was in ample supply in cities and towns across Ireland over the weekend after a sweeping relaxation of Covid rules, with the hospitality sector returning to trade as normal.
The moves announced by the Government on Friday evening came into effect at 6am on Saturday.
The Government will decide in March if face masks are to remain a requirement. Currently, they still have to be worn on public transport and in shops.
Man being questioned over €1.4m drug seizure
A customs dog named Laddie uncovered cocaine worth an estimated €1.4 million concealed inside a refrigerated unit in a vehicle in Dublin Port.
The vehicle was stopped on Saturday as part of a joint intelligence-led operation involving the Revenue Customs Service, the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau, and Garda divisions from Wicklow and Wexford.
In a search of the refrigerated unit after the vehicle was stopped, Laddie the customs dog located 20 kilograms of cocaine and the drugs were subsequently seized.
One man, aged 22 years old, was arrested in relation to drug trafficking offences.
Gardaí investigate alleged sexual assaults
Gardaí are investigating a number of alleged sex attacks on teenage girls near Sligo town.
A number of scenes have been sealed off while the investigation gets under way.
Gardaí said that the alleged assaults happened near Sligo on Saturday evening.
Detectives are appealing to anyone who was in the Ballydoogan, Oakfield and Maugheraboy areas of Sligo between 8pm and 10pm and who noticed any activity which caught their attention.
