Mask-wearing is no longer mandatory in hospitals and healthcare settings in Ireland after three years of Covid rules.
Previously, patients, staff and visitors to a hospital were required to wear a face mask in all general settings.
The updated guidelines from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre came into effect on Wednesday, April 19, the Irish Times reports.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Covid variant Arcturus including strange new symptom
Healthcare workers who are dealing with patients who have coronavirus symptoms are still advised to wear a face covering.
This comes after a new variant of Covid, known as Arcturus, has been confirmed in the UK recently.
It was confirmed after a recent surge in cases in India forced parts of the country to bring back compulsory face mask rules.
The Omicron sub-variant XBB.1.16 - which was first identified on January 23 this year - has caught the attention of experts around the world. So far, it has been detected in at least 22 countries.
According to the latest data from Ireland’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre, no cases of the variant have been confirmed here.
Arcturus has been classified as a ‘variant of interest’ by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
The World Health Organisation's (WHO) technical lead for Covid response Maria Van Kerkhove said: "This is one to watch. We're monitoring it because it has potential changes that we need to keep a good eye out on."
Along with the usual Covid symptoms of fever and coughs, infected people in India have also reported suffering from "itchy" conjunctivitis or pinkeye.
According to the latest research, Arcturus could be 1.2 times more infectious than the most recent significant sub-variant of Covid.
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