People should continue to work from home wherever possible, employers have been told.
The Government said that staff should remain out of offices and workplaces despite some easing of Level 5 restrictions.
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar said employers and staff should remember that there has been no change to the official advice to continue to work from home.
He said with new Covid-19 cases still in the mid-hundreds, there remains a “high risk” of new outbreaks occurring – if large numbers of people return to the workplace.
He said there is clear evidence that some people are drifting back to the office or the workplace, and said he wanted to remind employers that staff members should not be pressurised to return to work.
“Daily case numbers remain high, as do the numbers in ICU.
“While the vaccination programme is making great progress, and 20% of adults have received at least one vaccine at this point, we still have a few months to go until everyone has been fully vaccinated.
The Tánaiste added that working from home has played a huge part in containing Covid-19.
“It will be one of the most effective tools as we enter the next stage.
“I know a lot of people are tired of working from home and are keen to see colleagues again, but we have to stick with this for a few more months.
“When we go back to the office, we want it to be in a safe and sustainable way.
“We are just not at that point yet,” he said.
