Details of New Year’s Level 5 lockdown:

Full Level 5 lockdown will start being introduced in the Republic of Ireland from midnight tonight (Wednesday) until at least the end of January.

The re-opening of schools has been postponed until January 11.

Restrictions include a ban on visiting other households (except for essential family reasons such as providing care, or if part of a ‘social bubble’); a ban on travelling outside 5km of your home; closure of non-essential retail and the closure of gyms, leisure centres and swimming pools.

Details of ‘Lockdown 3’ – a return to similar restrictions as were in place last April – were announced by Taoiseach Micheál Martin tonight.

Up to six guests will be allowed at weddings and up to 10 mourners will be permitted to attend funerals.

The ban on travel from the UK will be extended until January 6.

“At Level 5, the public health risk means that you will be asked to stay at home, except for travel for work, education or other essential services or to take exercise within 5km of home. There will be no gatherings other than small numbers at funerals and weddings.

“The Government has considered a number of factors in arriving at this decision, particularly NPHET concerns that the epidemiological profile of Covid-19 has continued to deteriorate very substantially.

“It is recognised that this decision will have an impact on people’s lives and livelihoods, but the clear message is that we must all now stay at home, with the exception of essential purposes, in order to stop the spread of the virus. Supports such as the PUP and the CRSS will continue to be made available to those impacted,” the Government said tonight.

The news came as 1,718 confirmed new cases of Covid-19 were announced for the Republic of Ireland, including 112 cases in Galway.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: “This latest surge is different to the second wave. We are seeing rising incidence of the disease across all age groups, especially those aged 19-24 and a very worrying increase among those aged 65 and older.

“During the second wave, there was a long delay between an increase in cases and an increase in hospital admissions. This time is very different.

“We are already seeing a sharp rise in the number of hospital admissions. This morning, there were 454 Covid patients in hospital. It has almost doubled in a week. The Reproduction number is currently estimated at between 1.6 and 1.8. The situation is extremely serious. The numbers will deteriorate further over the coming days.

“As we have navigated the different phases of this crisis together, I have always been clear that we will do what we need to do to suppress the virus when it is growing; and it is now growing exponentially.

“The truth is, that with the presence of the new strain and the pace of growth, this is not a time for nuance in our response. We must apply the brakes to movement and physical interaction across the country. We must return to full scale, Level 5 restrictions for a period of at least one month. We are all weary, from the bottom of our hearts, of this disease and the impact it has had on our lives.

“The next month, as we face into these strictest controls in the depth of winter, is going to be very tough for everyone. But there is another key difference between then and now.

“After a year of the most extraordinary effort by the most talented scientific minds on earth, we have safe and effective vaccines.

“We have the most technologically advanced factories in history working around the clock producing this life saving intervention, and we have a global supply chain distributing it around the world.

“For the first time since this awful disease landed on our shores, we truly have an end in sight. Thousands of vaccines are arriving here weekly, and by the end of January, I am confident that many tens of thousands of our most vulnerable citizens and our healthcare workers will have been vaccinated.

“The vaccines are now being administered efficiently and safely, but this will take time. The virus can still do immense damage until we have progressed much, much further with the vaccination programme. We are a society that looks out for the people around us.

“And what we are doing now with these new restrictions is working to keep as many of our parents, grandparents, neighbours and friends safe until such time as they have been vaccinated. This disease and the response it requires is causing massive disruption to our society and it is undermining our economy.

“It is having an effect on the mental health of young and old that we will not understand for some time to come. It is costing billions of euro.

“We must stay at home and eliminate contact with others now, to make sure that as many of our people as possible are still with us to enjoy the better, brighter days that are up ahead,” said the Taoiseach.

Overview of restrictions:

Family and social gatherings

• no visitors are permitted in private homes/gardens (except for essential family reasons such as providing care to children, elderly or vulnerable people, or as part of a support bubble)
• no social/family gatherings should take place in other settings
• people may meet with people from one other household in outdoor settings when taking exercise

Weddings and funerals

• weddings planned up to and including 2 January may proceed as planned, up to a maximum of 25 guests. Weddings from 3 January may proceed, but with a maximum of 6 guests
• funerals may have up to 10 mourners

Domestic travel restrictions

• people will be required to stay at home except for travel for work, education or other essential purposes, and will be permitted to take exercise within 5km of home
• people away from their place of residence on 31 December will be permitted to return to their place of residence

Retail and personal services

• all retail, other than essential retail must close from close of business on 31 December
• all non-essential services remain closed
• click and collect services will be available

Work

• work from home unless essential for work which is an essential health, social care or other essential service and cannot be done from home

Schools, early learning and childcare services, higher and adult education

• early learning and childcare services open with protective measures
• schools open from 11 January with further review on precise situation in advance of that date
• higher, further and adult education should remain primarily online

The updated list of essential retail outlets:

Retailers with mixed retail offering which have spaces for essential and non-essential retail should make arrangements for the separation of relevant areas.

1. Outlets selling food or beverages on a takeaway basis, or newspapers, whether on a retail or wholesale basis and whether in a non-specialised or specialised outlet.
2. Markets that, wholly or principally, offer food for sale.
3. Outlets selling products necessary for the essential upkeep and functioning of places of residence and businesses, whether on a retail or wholesale basis.
4. Pharmacies, chemists and retailers or wholesalers providing pharmaceuticals or pharmaceutical or dispensing services, whether on a retail or wholesale basis.
5. Outlets selling health, medical or orthopaedic goods in a specialised outlet, whether on a retail or wholesale basis.
6. Fuel service stations and heating fuel providers.
7. Outlets selling essential items for the health and welfare of animals (including animal feed and veterinary medicinal products, pet food, animal bedding and animal supplies), whether on a retail or wholesale basis.
8. Laundries and drycleaners.
9. Banks, post offices and credit unions.
10. Outlets selling safety supplies (including work-wear apparel, footwear and personal protective equipment), whether on a retail or wholesale basis.
11. Hardware outlets, builders’ merchants and outlets that provide, whether on a retail or wholesale basis: hardware products necessary for home and business maintenance or construction and development; sanitation and farm equipment or supplies and tools essential for farming or agriculture purposes

12. Outlets providing for the repair and maintenance of mechanically propelled vehicles or bicycles and any related facilities (including tyre sales and repairs).
13. The following outlets, insofar as they offer services on an emergency basis only:

outlets providing hearing test services or selling hearing aids and appliances

outlets selling office products and services for businesses or for relevant persons working from their respective places of residence, whether on a retail or wholesale basis

outlets providing electrical, information and communications technology and telephone sales, repair and maintenance services for places of residence and businesses

14. Any other retail outlet that operates an online or other remote system of ordering goods for purposes of collection at the retail outlet.
15. Outlets selling food or beverages whether on a retail or wholesale basis and whether in a non-specialised or specialised outlet:

insofar as they sell food or beverages on a takeaway basis or for consumption off the premises

insofar as they are staff canteens operating for the exclusive use of persons working in, or at, a particular premises

or hotels or similar accommodation services

16. Optician and optometrist outlets. Any retail parts of premises should not be open to general public for browsing.

See HERE for the list of essential services: