New government projections say Irish GDP will fall by more than 10% this year, with unemployment to peak at 22%.
Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe has warned 220,000 jobs will be lost this year - saying it's clear the economy is "now in the midst of a severe recession".
Government Chief Economist John McCarthy has said the coronavirus crisis will lead to the "deepest recession since the 1930s" internationally.
It's projected that there will be a recovery in 2021 with a 5.5% increase in employment, while the numbers out of work to fall below 10% next year.
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The COVID-19 death toll has reached 730 after a further 44 people were reported to have died from the virus.
Meanwhile, 338 new cases have been confirmed in the Republic, taking the total to 16,040.
However, some 8,377 people have now recovered fully – some 55% of the country’s cases.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said 502 of the deaths recorded so far have been in residential care centres. He said some 402 of these were in nursing homes.
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Large mass gatherings will remain banned until at least the end of August due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Cabinet discussed the ongoing restrictions this morning.
The ban on mass gatherings through August will likely mean the cancellation of summer gigs and music festivals, while events such as the National Ploughing Championships could be impacted if it continues into September.
The continuing ban will apply to gatherings of 5,000 people or more that require licences, although smaller events could also be impacted by any continued requirement for social distancing.
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The UN has warned that the Government’s use of the Public Services Card to police access to social welfare is ‘gravely prejudiced’ against the least well-off in society.
Philip Alston, the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, has written to the Government to express his concern about the PSC.
He warned that it is not clear whether there is a legal basis for forcing people to obtain the card before accessing welfare.
He said the system has an “unreasonable and disproportionate” impact on the human rights of poorer and more marginalised people.
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A man has appeared in court on foot of an arrest warrant issued by police in the UK investigating the discovery of 39 bodies in Essex last October.
Ronan Hughes, of Leitrim Silverstream, Tyholland, Co Monaghan is wanted in England to face multiple manslaughter charges and a conspiracy offence.
On October 23rd last, the bodies of 39 Vietnamese nationals were found in the back of a lorry in an industrial estate in Essex.
Yesterday, the High Court in Dublin endorsed a European Arrest Warrant issued by UK authorities for the arrest of 40-year-old Ronan Hughes.
