10 Covid-19 infection clusters found in meat factories across country

The Health Service Executive (HSE) is to issue guidance to meat processing plants to prevent the further spread of coronavirus.

There are now 10 clusters in factories across the country - accounting for 566 cases.

The death toll from Covid-19 in the Republic now stands at 1,429, after another 27 people with the disease died.

Professor Catherine Motherway, President of the Intensive Care Society, says a lot needs to happen before restrictions are eased.

Professor Motherway says: "We need to know that our health system can cope, can find the cases, isolate the cases, and treat them.

"We need to minimise outbreak risks and we need to make sure then that when people are coming into the country that we can manage that risk.

"And last but not least that our entire community continues to observe whatever healthcare measures we think are appropriate."

Yesterday the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) met to consider priority testing for meat factories where cases have been detected.

NPHET is also considering priority testing every resident in direct provision for Covid-19.