Ireland relaxes COVID-19 testing rules, cuts isolation period

FILE PHOTO: A bottle of hand sanitizer is seen beside a pint of Guinness in Galway, Ireland, June 7, 2021. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne/File Photo

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland on Thursday became the latest country to cut the isolation period for some people who contract COVID-19 and relax requirements for tests as a record number of cases for the fourth time in a week overwhelmed testing facilities.

With the fast-spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus accounting for 92% of all infections, the health department reported 20,554 new cases, more than double the record in any previous wave to bring the 14-day infection rate to 2,300 per 100,000 people.