People are being asked to up their compliance with face mask wearing as only 41% of people were found to be wearing them when out and about.
The Department of Health revealed earlier this week that compliance is much lower than with other measures they recommended.
Dr Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health said; “While it is encouraging to see an increase in the number of people wearing face coverings in public places, 41% is a significantly lower uptake when compared to our other recommended behaviours such as hand washing (92%) and physical distancing (91%)."
Now Minister Shane Ross is hopeful of making the coverings mandatory on public transport.
But what are the current guidelines and laws regarding wearing one? Here's all you need to know.
Do I have to wear a face mask when I leave the house?
No. At the moment face masks are not mandatory and it is simply Government advice that you should wear one if in a place where it is hard to social distance.
Where should I wear a mask?
Wearing a cloth face covering is recommended in situations where it is difficult to carry out social distancing, for example in shops or on busy public transport.
Wearing of cloth face coverings may help prevent people who do not know they have the virus from spreading it to others.
Who is exempt from wearing the masks?
Anyone aged under 13 isn't advised to wear the masks and if it impacts your health you should similarly avoid it.
Others are asked to wear it in the situations outlined above.
What are the new proposals?
Minister for Transport Shane Ross hopes to make face coverings mandatory on public transport in the very near future.
Minister Ross said: "We are going to get to a situation in the next few weeks where it's close to bursting and where there's not enough capacity on public transport.
"We've increased the capacity to 50% which will mean a lot more people can get on the buses and the trains but to match that, to protect people's health, we've made mandatory face masks so everybody getting on to public transport in the next few weeks or days, they'll have to wear a face mask."
