People should limit themselves to one sexual partner to reduce the spread of Covid-19, chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan has said.

He was asked at the daily Covid19 briefing yesterday whether he agreed with advice from the Dutch public health team to people in the Netherlands to limit themselves to one partner.

He said “that is good public health advice” as a precaution against the transmission of infections generally.

Dr Holohan said there was no specific advice around Covid-19 regarding intimate contact for people who were in a relationship and lived in different houses.

“We know that is a challenge for people,” he said. “And there are general guidelines which they can refer to on engagements between different households.”