Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said he does not believe that making it mandatory to wear a mask indoors would change the current Covid-19 situation.
This is despite repeated calls from doctors and nurses working on the frontline for the reintroduction of some measures to tackle the latest surge in Covid-19.
Mr Martin said the new BA.2 variant is highly transmissible, but does not appear to be damaging health in the same way as earlier variants.
He has been in contact with the Chief Medical Officer regarding the public health advice, which has not changed.
He said: "Essentially, the current wave because it does not justify the return of economic restrictions, or the restrictions that we had in earlier phases of Covid-19.
"That's the fundamental advice in public health.
“I accept fully the problems but suggesting that if we brought in masks, we could change all that just doesn’t I think cut it.
“The guidance is people should wear masks, but the regulatory situation wouldn’t in my view, at this stage, change the hospital pressures,” Mr Martin told RTÉ's Claire Byrne show.
The Cabinet sub-committee on health is due to meet today, but there are no indications that the rules around masks will be changed or become mandatory again.
It is also expected that the State’s vaccine advisory body, the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) will make a recommendation in the coming days on when the fourth Covid vaccine dose should be administered to people.
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