Irish labs are examining recent cases of Covid-19 to see if there's evidence the new strain of the virus has arrived in Ireland.
The variant is believed to be 70 per cent more transmissible compared to other strains.
The 48 hour UK travel ban has been brought in in a bid to buy the Government some time.
The new strain of covid-19 has led to heightened restrictions in parts of the UK.
Recent confirmed cases are being examined by lab technicians to see if the strain has made its way here.
Professor of Immunology at Trinity College Luke O'Neill says its likely it has, while Infectious Disease Specialist at the RCSI Prof Sam McConkey says it may be time to reconsider bringing in mandatory quarantine for people arriving into the country.
It comes as the 7 day incidence rate among 19-44 year olds has more than doubled in the space of 10 days, with NPHET saying every indicator used to track the virus is going in the wrong direction.
