Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said it is important to remind people that the lockdown in Kildare, Laois and Offaly did work. Speaking on RTÉ's Brendan O'Connor, he said we have reduced the numbers contracting Covid-19 before and we can do it again.
He said numbers "are growing exponentially" and he is worried. The situation outside of Dublin is different and this is why "wet pubs" were given the go-ahead to reopen, he added.
The Taoiseach said reports that the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) wanted to put Dublin at Level 4 "certainly weren't communicated to us". "Our objective is to get back to Level 2 in Dublin and we must really focus on adhering to the guidelines and the rules.