Health services across the West and North West remain under significant pressure with very high rates of flu.
Hospitals in the region are treating 166 patients with flu and people are asked to co-operate with visiting restrictions and infection control measures.
Face marks are now mandatory in all Emergency Departments in hospitals across the West and North West.
In a statement, Saolta says everyone attending the ED must wear a face mask for the duration of their stay and these are widely available throughout the hospital.
'In all other areas of the hospital and across all residential facilities we are urging visitors to please wear a face mask to protect themselves and our patients and staff from the risk of infection. Please be vigilant and wash your hands and use hand gel regularly.'
'As a necessary infection control measure some hospitals in the West and North West have introduced visiting restrictions. We regret the impact these restrictions will have on patients and their families, especially at this time of year but we need to do everything we can to control the spread of infection. These restrictions are temporary and subject to change based on daily activity levels so please check HSE.ie for information about visiting in your local hospital.'
Nationally, it's expected the flu epidemic will peak in around 2 weeks time, while there are already over a thousand and 34 people in hospital.
