LAST UPDATE | 3 Jun 2020

HEALTH OFFICIALS this evening confirmed that a further three people with Covid-19 have died. This brings to 1,659 the total number of people with Covid-19 who have died in this country.

On the international front, Italy will re-open to tourists across Europe from today, three months after the country shut down because of the virus which ravaged the country.

There have also been Black Lives Matter protests in cities around the world, with a demonstration planned in Dublin for Saturday – despite concerns around physical distancing. 

Here are today’s Covid-19 main points:

• Health officials confirmed that a further three people with Covid-19 have died in Ireland, and there have been 47 new cases. 
  
• Simon Harris has urged the organisers of a planned anti-racism protest to cancel the demonstration this weekend. However, organisers of a demonstration on Saturday say it’s still set to go ahead. 
• The State’s budget deficit hit €6.1 billion in May, as the ongoing Covid-19 crisis puts pressure on government finances.
• More than 50% of respondents to a new poll by the Global Drugs Survey say they have increased the frequency of their drinking since the Covid-19 restrictions were implemented.
• Ryanair has revealed that its traffic fell by 99.5% to just 701 scheduled flights in May compared with 2019.
• Half of people aged under 24 in Ireland are unemployed, new figures suggest.
• Simon Harris was forced to self-isolate for a number of days after displaying Covid-19 symptoms. 
• Individuals who have recovered from Covid-19 should not act as if they’re immune, health officials have said, despite healthcare staff being treated as immune for three months after contracting the virus

Here are today’s international Covid-19 main points:

• Italy has reopened to travellers from Europe, three months after the country went into its coronavirus lockdown.
• Sweden’s top epidemiologist has acknowledged the country’s response could have been better. 
• A new trial has been launched in the UK to assess whether ibuprofen may hold the key to preventing severe breathing problems in Covid-19 patients.
• Brazil’s death toll from the virus has surpassed 30,000 people – the fourth-highest in the world – as Covid-19 continues to spread through Latin America.
• Mumbai has re-introduced some Covid-19 restrictions ahead of the city’s first cyclone in 70 years. 
• Global stock markets rose yesterday as countries around the world continue to ease their coronavirus restrictions.

-  With reporting by Michelle Hennessy.