There has been an outbreak of COVID-19 at a direct provision centre in Killarney.
Radio Kerry understands that a number of residents are isolating following the outbreak, while there are reports that as many as 24 residents have been transferred to offsite isolation units.
Atlas House Killarney on the Deerpark Road has capacity for up to 90 residents, although it's not known how many asylum seekers were in the centre at the time of this outbreak.
MASI, the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland, said 24 residents in the Killarney centre have contracted the disease and have been transferred offsite.
A number of residents in Killarney had previously been in the now closed Skellig Star direct provision centre in Caherciveen.
When contacted about the outbreak, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth - which has taken over responsibility for Direct Provision from the Department of Justice - said it could not comment on specific cases or outbreaks but that it had put in place a number of provisions for dealing with outbreaks at any direct provision centres.
These include self-isolation facilities in centres themselves and offsite self-isolation at HSE facilities.
The department also said it has increased capacity to support physical and social distancing and enhanced cleaning regimes and provision of personal protective equipment.
The HSE also refused to confirm the outbreak, citing confidentiality issues.
It added that in any outbreak consultants from the Department of Public Health are involved in an outbreak control team and provide advice on the necessary control measures that must be put in place to manage it.
