School holidays have been extended but will reopen during lockdown
The government has announced a 'full-scale' level five lockdown for at least one month.
Primary and secondary schools will also remain closed until January 11th.
The new restrictions, which take effect from midnight, include a ban on all household visits.
Gyms and non-essential retail will be closed from the close of business tomorrow.
Travel will be limited to five kilometres from your home.
Six people will be permitted to attend weddings, while ten mourners may attend funerals.
In a televised address to the nation, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said strict new measures were urgently needed as the spread of the virus had "surpassed the most pessimistic models available to us".
He said the current situation "is extremely serious" with the case numbers expected to "deteriorate further over the coming days".
Mr Martin added that since the arrival of the new strain of COVID-19 in Ireland, "now is not the time for nuance in our response".
