COVID-19 UPDATE: A further 17 pass away as Holohan says two-metre social distancing must remain

A further 17 people lost their lives from Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland in the last 24 hours, the HSE said this evening.

The total death toll here is now 1,631 while the number of confirmed cases has now reached 24,803 after another 73 were diagnosed.

Meanwhile, RTE is reporting that Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan has told ministers that the advice on social distancing remained at two metres.

Dr Holohan was today updating ministers at Government Buildings about Covid-19 and giving his analysis on the latest medical data.