New restrictions to suppress the spread of COVID-19 have been introduced by the Government with immediate effect.

The measures will remain in place until September 13.

According to the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, "the evidence is that a large number of people are acting as if the virus is no threat to them, or that it is ok to take a few more risks".

"Many people seem to believe that if they or those they are socialising with have no symptoms, there is no problem. The fact is that a person can spread the virus without ever showing any symptoms.

"You may be young and healthy, but your choices impact on everyone you come into contact with. In our families, among our friends and our communities, every one of us has a responsibility to protect the health and lives of others," he said.

The new restrictions include:
-Visits to homes (from people outside of that home) should be limited to six people from no more than three other households, both indoors and outdoors
-Working from home should continue where possible
-Public transport should be avoided if possible
-All sporting events and matches will be held behind closed doors.
-Sports training sessions should involve no more than six people indoors and no more than 15 people outdoors
-All indoor events will be reduced from the current 50 to just six, except in the cases of indoor weddings and some religious services, such as masses. These can continue to have up to 50 people in attendance.
-Restaurants, cafes and pubs that serve food can remain open as long as they follow public health guidelines and are closed by 11.30pm.

The Government is also advising people over the age of 70 to limit their interactions to a small network of people, to shop during designated hours and to avoid public transport.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health has said that one more person with COVID-19 has died and 190 new cases of the virus have been confirmed. This brings the total number of deaths to 1,775 and the total number of cases to 27,499.

Of the 190 new cases, 75 are associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case, while 14 have been identified as community transmission.

Forty-eight of the cases occurred in Kildare, 46 in Dublin, 38 in Tipperary, 20 in Limerick, seven in Clare and the remaining 31 cases are spread out over 11 other counties.

"As we learn to live with this disease, we need to strike a balance between enjoying our lives and behaving responsibly. By reducing our social contacts and following the public health advice we can suppress this virus.

"To keep our shops, hotels, restaurants and sporting activities open, we need every household to play it's part and every workplace and organisation to provide a safe environment so that we can protect our loved ones, safeguard the most vulnerable, protect our health services and ensure children get back to school in the coming weeks," commented the department's acting chief medical officer, Dr Ronan Glynn.

The public health measures currently in place can be viewed here.