TAOISEACH Micheál Martin announced on Tuesday that Ireland would effectively be heading back in lockdown after Christmas following a recent surge in coronavirus cases.
While the country prepares for Level Five restrictions again, mere weeks after coming out of lockdown at the start of December, Martin said there would be some "specific adjustments" to the Level Five rules.
According to the Government, Ireland is entering 'Level Five minus', while many of the rules will be implemented via a series of staggered dates.
Here's everything you need to know about which rules will be coming into effect, when they'll be coming in, and how long they'll last for:
- Unless stated otherwise, all restrictions outlined below will run until January 12, 2021, at the earliest
- Restrictions will begin on Christmas Eve, but more will come in effect later into the week
- The UK travel ban - which began on Sunday - will now run until December 31
From December 24
- Gastropubs and restaurants will close at 3pm
- Hairdressers, barbers and beauticians will close
- Gyms, leisure centres, sports clubs and swimming pools will remain open but only for individual training purposes
- Non-essential retail will remain open, but shops will be asked to postpone January sales.
From December 26
- Inter-county travel will be banned
- All religious services will move online
- Household visits will be reduced to one other household (from Dec 27)
From January 1
- No household mixing will be allowed except for essential family reasons such as providing care
- Wedding guest numbers will be reduced to six (from January 3)
- Funerals can only be attended by up to 10 mourners
Elsewhere
- Schools will return as normal following the Christmas break
- Indoor and outdoor gatherings of any kind should not take place
- Working from home must take place unless it cannot be done
- Museums, galleries and other cultural attractions will be closed
