COVID-19 variant present in Ireland, new curbs needed

A man walks past a graffiti of a Frankenstein wearing a protective face mask on a doorway amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Galway, Ireland, December 22, 2020. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

DUBLIN (Reuters) -Irish health chiefs believe a new variant of COVID-19 found in neighbouring Britain is present in Ireland, but not solely responsible for a rapid spread of the disease that will require restrictions beyond those announced just 24 hours ago.

The presence since at least the second week of December of the more infectious variant is based on preliminary data from a selection of samples from last weekend, the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) said in a statement.