The Chief Medical Officer raised concerns with the Health Minister last November that Ireland's border controls were too weak.

Dr Tony Holohan's emails to Stephen Donnelly have been published in the Sunday Independent.

In them, the CMO warned the lack of strong border controls was "particularly concerning" due to the risk of new Covid strains being imported.

Tony O'Brien, former Director General of the HSE, says the system in place in November was 'too wide open':