Regulations won’t be enforceable by gardaí until the end of next week as practical work needs to be completed with both the State prosecutor and the Courts Service.

A third 'enhanced' lockdown in January could well be necessary, Leo Varadkar has warned, as many sectors of Irish society are to re-open next Wednesday.

President Higgins has signed a bill into law allowing Gardaí to issue graduated fines to people found to be in breach of the latest Covid-19 guidelines

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties has described the laws as "a mistake"

Cabinet to bring in system of graduated penalties for those breaking lockdown rules

Several cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed amongst students in UCC-run campus accommodation, prompting calls for tight controls of the apartment blocks.

University of Limerick President Professor Kerstin Mey has taken to the streets with local gardaí in off-campus housing estates to remind students to follow public health guidelines.

Colleges and institutes of technology have been told to have as few students on campus as possible for the next few weeks.

The latest HPSC figures show that 69% of 2,649 clusters occurred in private households.