He says there's further improvements in the numbers of people in hospital with the virus
Paul Reid says there are 279 patients with the virus in hospitals nationwide, with 37 in ICU.
It comes as the national 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 people has fallen to 196.4 - down from 202 on Thursday.
There are 499 new cases of Covid-19 in the Republic, including 72 here in Cork, and 8 more people with the virus have died.
Public health expert, Professor Gerry Kileen from UCC, says we have to keep up restrictions when level 5 ends:
