No new deaths for third day as PUP recipients told they must be ‘genuinely seeking’ work

There were no new deaths from Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland for the third day in a row, the HSE said this evening.

The total death toll here is now 1,764 while the number of confirmed cases has now reached 25,929  after another 40 were diagnosed.

Meanwhile, recipients of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) must be “genuinely seeking” work under new legislation expected to be passed through the Dáil today.

The Social Welfare (Covid-19) Amendment Bill, if passed, will state that the €350 a week emergency payment will only be paid if “he or she is genuinely seeking but unable to obtain employment suitable for him or her”.