Health officials have today confirmed 1,432 new cases in Ireland and 272 people in hospitals across the country.
There are now 63 people in the ICU with Covid-19, while 30 deaths were recorded in the past seven days.
Dr Tony Holohan has voiced his support for the significant updates to contact tracing and testing in schools announced by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly this afternoon.
In a statement the CMO said: "We have been closely monitoring the incidence of Covid-19 and we are reassured that the reopening of schools has not led to an increase in transmission of Covid-19 amongst school-going children or more widely across the population.
"This is good news for students, parents and all those involved in the education of our children. As always, we will keep disease transmission in the population under review, but given the importance of education for our children we feel that now is the right time to evolve our approach to the public health management of Covid-19 in educational settings."
Among the changes from Monday, September 27, is and end to contact tracing of close contacts in childcare facilities and primary education and testing of asymptomatic close contacts in childcare facilities and primary education.
Children aged 12 or under, who are identified as close contacts in childcare, educational settings, special education settings, or other non-household settings and who are asymptomatic will also no longer be required to routinely restrict movements.
Dr Holohan added: “Given the substantially higher risk of transmission in households as compared to any other setting, children aged 12 yrs or under, who are identified as household close contacts, will still be required to restrict movements and be tested, regardless of whether or not they have symptoms.
“Public health advice remains that any person, including children aged 12 yrs or under who displays symptoms consistent with Covid-19 should rapidly self-isolate and not attend school or to socialise until 48 hours after they are symptom free.
"He explained that the latest data shows schools remain low-risk environments for the spread of the virus and says public health advice will remain the same for those with symptoms."
