The Acting Chief Medical Officer and the Health Minister are briefing the Taoiseach around now on whether three counties should be locked down to stop the spread of Covid-19.
Public health officials held an unplanned meeting earlier, to discuss growing clusters, mainly in meat plants, in counties Kildare, Offaly and Laois.
Dr. Ronan Glynn and Minister Stephen Donnelly are meeting the Taoiseach to update him on the recommendations to try halt rising Covid-19 cases in the midlands.
NPHET met for over 2 hours earlier to agree on a set of measures for Kildare, Offaly and Laois.
Dr. Glynn has already refused to rule out local restrictions.
The counties have had 226 Covid-19 cases in the past two weeks, and already we know there will be at least 60 further cases from these counties confirmed this evening.
Any local lockdown will have to be signed off by Ministers at a special Cabinet meeting this afternoon.
