The Minister for Health has said people should follow Dr Tony Holohan’s advice and reduce the number of other households they meet indoors “to the greatest extent possible”.
Asked if this was now government policy, Stephen Donnelly told RTÉ’s News At One that it was the public health advice.
He said Government policy was last agreed on 22 December and that was for a maximum of three other households visiting another.
“This is a maximum but right now we need to minimise the other households we meet up with. Cabinet has not met since so there has not been formal updated advice.”
Earlier, the Chief Medical Officer urged people not to hold household gatherings tonight to celebrate New Year’s Eve amid concern over high levels of Covid-19 transmission.
Yesterday, for the fourth time this week, Ireland recorded its highest number of confirmed cases of Covid-19.
The Omicron variant now accounts for 92% of all cases.