A new survey from Oxford University suggests Ireland has the second lightest Covid restrictions in the world.
The analysis of 185 countries worldwide ranks Ireland only behind Mongolia, in terms of current restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of the virus.
It comes as hospital figures show 1,569 people are currently being treated for Covid-19 in Irish hospitals, up 111 on yesterday.
Hugh O'Connell, Political Correspondent with the Irish Independent, says the liberal restrictions is down to the emergency phase being over:
"We're among the most stringent in Europe and the world for the vast majority of the last two years, and now we are living with COVID-19 in the scenario where we have more case numbers in the last few weeks than we had during the, the first two waves in 2020, but we're free to go about our daily lives unhindered by masks. So we're in a new phase now like the emergency phase is over."
