Locals and business owners in Laois and Offaly are expressing frustration at the restrictions.
Some locals and business owners in Laois and Offaly are expressing frustration at the restrictions being imposed in the two counties.
Eight cases were confirmed in the two counties yesterday.
Seven people in Offaly were confirmed with the illness and one new case was in Laois.
110 cases were diagnosed in Kildare.
In total, 174 people tested positive for Covid-19 in the latest official data.
It's the largest number of confirmed cases reported in Ireland in one day since May, and brings the total number infected to date in Ireland to over 26-thousand six hundred.
Another patient infected with the virus has also died.
But Health Minister Stephen Donnelly says he had to act early to stop the virus spreading to the wider community there:
Martin Buckley owns Tyrrellspass Castle in Westmeath which is trading as normal, and the Town House in Tullamore which is now serving meals out doors and for take-away only.
He's hoping people will continue to support local businesses:
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