The chief executive of the Health Service Executive has appealed to the public to keep up their sacrifices to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Paul Reid tweeted: “I’m always an optimist and all of your sacrifices are helping. They really are. But it is far too early to be a trend. So a special plea to everyone to keep it going. In the HSE, we will continue to scale up to help us tackle the worst, as best we can.”
It comes as experts on the National Public Health Emergency Team welcomed data showing the infection rate has dropped from 33% to 15% since restrictions on public life were first introduced earlier this month.
Leading epidemiologist Professor Philip Nolan said it would be another seven to 10 days before it could be determined whether the latest clampdown on movement, imposed by the Government on Friday night, had helped to further cut the infection rate.
Ireland’s death toll rose to 54 on Monday, following the report of eight more deaths.
A total of 295 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 were reported in the Republic, the highest daily total so far, bringing the overall number to 2,910.
Monday also saw the Government formalize an agreement with private hospitals to use all of their facilities during the Covid-19 crisis.
Meanwhile, thousands of people who have lost their jobs as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic are due to receive their first benefit payment today.
The Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment was introduced two weeks ago and 389,000 people applied for the payment.