Coronavirus: Drink-only bars reopen outside Dublin

Many pubs in the Republic of Ireland that do not serve food are to reopen for the first time since the middle of March.

Operations will resume under strict guidelines.

However pubs and restaurants in Dublin which have been closed since Friday night, unless they can provide outdoor meals, remain closed.

The special measures in Dublin were brought in because of the spread of Covid-19 in the capital.

The reopening of pubs in 25 of the 26 counties comes at a time when public health officials have warned they are concerned about the growth of the virus in Donegal, Louth and Waterford.

The newly reopened so-called "wet pubs" will have to operate under strict social distancing guidelines, with mandatory table service, enhanced cleaning protocols and rules on providing contact details.

The publicans' representative body outside of Dublin, the Vintners' Federation has described the re-opening as a good news story for owners, staff and customers.

Its chief executive Padraig Cribeen said there will be significant mental health benefits for people in rural Ireland.

On Sunday, the republic's National Health Emergency Team (NHET) reported 396 new Covid-19 cases - the highest figure in months - but no new deaths.

Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn urged people to plan "to see half the number of people this week that you saw last week".

"When you do meet, do so safely - keep your distance, wear a face covering if appropriate and wash your hands," he said.

Last week public health officials revealed that the "R" - the rate at which one person goes on to affect another - had risen to between 1.3 and 1.7 both in Dublin and across the state.

Ideally the authorities want that figure to fall to below 1 to stop the virus spreading.