Hair we go – midnight queues outside barbers and salons as Ireland reopens, no new deaths recorded

There has been no new deaths relating to the coronavirus over the past 24 hours. The weclome news came as 24 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed this evening.

It means the overall death toll as a result of the virus remains at 1,735 The are are now 25,462 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the State, according to the latest daily briefing from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).

The zero fatalities for the past 24 hours were confirmed as thousands of businesses across the country reopened their doors this morning for the first time in months.

Hairdressers and barbers were among those welcoming customers back after their reopening date was brought forward as part of the country’s road-map for easing Covid-19 restrictions.

But some barber shops decided they didn’t want to wait for daybreak, and over the past few days had been taking appointments to cut customers’ hair at midnight last night.

Some cinemas also reopened for the first time in months, with families and groups spreading out to different corners of movie-halls in order to maintain social distancing.

Pubs serving hot food, costing a minimum of €9, also welcomed back customers, with many city-based bars reporting brisk levles of trade throughout the day.