Government ministers and the acting chief medical officer no longer need to restrict their movements after the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, confirmed on Tuesday night that he had tested negative for COVID-19.

Following the launch of the Government's five-level COVID plan on Tuesday, Minister Donnelly began to feel unwell. He was advised by the acting chief medical officer, Dr Ronan Glynn, to contact his GP and seek a COVID test.

As a result, members of the Cabinet were asked to restrict their movements. However, these restrictions were immediately lifted when news of the Minister's negative result came through.

It had been a day of drama already, with the new five-level plan designating Dublin as level 2 like the rest of the country, but with "additional measures".

This led to accusations that Dublin was on some kind of level 2.5, which further confused many people on a day that the Government's main aim was to communicate clearly what the plan is for the next six months. (For more on the five-level plan, see here.)

Furthermore, later in the day, a further 357 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed, bringing the total number of cases to 31,549. A further three deaths were also confirmed, bringing the total number of deaths to 1,787.

Of the 357 new cases, 218 were in Dublin.

Commenting on the figures, Dr Glynn emphasised that "the basic preventions against the spread of COVID-19 remain unchanged". He urged people to wash their hands regularly, physically distance from others including friends and family, wear a face covering, and know the symptoms and what to do if you experience them.

"Simple measures taken by everyone are our best defence against COVID-19. No single measure will work in isolation, what matters is combination prevention. Continued cooperation and solidarity across society remains central to our response," he added.

The Government's five level plan can be viewed here.

*Pictured is Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly