Taoiseach Leo Varadkar speaks during a news conference on the ongoing situation with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at Government Buildings in Dublin, Ireland March 24, 2020. Steve Humphreys/Pool via REUTERS

A raft of new restrictions on how we go about our daily lives has been announced as the battle against Covid-19 is stepped up.

The measures are part of the Government’s on-going plan to limit the impact of the deadly virus on workers and employers with more stringent social distancing rules.

The measures in brief include:

Physical distancing restrictions remain in place;

People should stay home as much as possible, work from home if they can, and only leave home to go to work if there is no alternative;

Only go to the shops for essential supplies, for medical or dental appointments, to care for others or to take physical exercise;

Social events or gatherings involving more than 4 people that have not already been cancelled should be cancelled;

Non-essential indoor visits to other people’s homes should be avoided. Social gatherings of individuals outdoors should be no more than 4, unless from the same household.

No unnecessary travel should take place within the country or overseas.

All theatres, gyms, hairdressers, casinos and bingo halls are to close.

Mr Varadkar thanked the public for listening to the advice on physical distancing and hand washing so far.

He said "it's too early to know for sure but we do believe it's making a difference.

"However we do believe we need to do more."

He said he was asking people "to stay at home if at all possible."

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People should only leave the house to go to the shops for essential supplies, for medical or dental appointments, to care for others or to take physical exercise, the Taoiseach said.

Non-essential indoor visits to other people’s homes should be avoided.

No unnecessary travel is to be taken within the country or overseas, the Taoiseach said.

The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) has recommended that all non- essential retail outlets will close to members of the public.

They compiled an indicative list of essential retailers that can stay open but must implement social distancing.

It include shops and wholesalers that supply food, beverages, newspapers and cleaning products.

Pharmacies, opticians and other retailers selling medical goods can remain open.

Petrol stations and outlets for home heating oil as well as garages that repair cars and motorcycles can also stay open.

Shops that sell food and medication for pets and laundries and dry-cleaners can remain in operation.

Banks, Post Offices and Credit Unions and hardware stores including farm suppliers are permitted as are office and electrical goods suppliers and mobile phone shops.

All of these outlets must implement social distancing measures.

This includes ensuring adequate distancing between customers and shop workers and only letting people into the store in small groups and ensure spaces are not crowded.

"These are unprecedented actions to an unprecedented time," Varadkar said.

"We're in this in for the long haul, and this could go on for weeks."

There will be increased patrols by park rangers and the gardaí to make sure physical distancing is being practiced in public areas.

Mr Varadkar said new powers will only be used when necessary.

Mr Varadkar said that Ireland recently commemorated the centenary of the 1916 Rising and the men and women that won Ireland's independence.

He said he never believed we would be called upon to match their courage or example but we are now working as a country to respond to this emergency.

He said: "Our greatest generation is not in the past" and added "better times are yet to come".

Mr Varadkar was asked what he would say to people who are afraid.

He replied: "I think we're all a little bit afraid.

"It's perfectly natural and normal to be a little bit afraid. We can all see today what's happening in Italy - only two or three hours flight from here and that frightens us all."

He said Ireland does have a "slight advantage" that it's further away from the centre of the outbreak and this has allowed time to put in place a "comprehensive strategy".

He said it will "minimise the number or people who are affected and maximise the number of people who survive Covid-19".

Mr Varadkar said it's a strategy that's worked in places like South Korea and Singapore which have had lower numbers of deaths than some European countries.

"That's the model that we're following but we really need people to work with us."

He urged the public to "get behind our health service" and help them protect people.

He said doctors can save hundreds of people in hospitals but the general public can save thousands of people "if we follow the advice public health experts are giving us".

Emergency welfare payment for workers who have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus crisis will increase to €350 per week.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said coronavirus is a "crisis unlike any other in our lifetime" and it has placed otherwise viable businesses in jeopardy.

Mr Donohoe said there is a need for the State to respond at a time of great risk and it's why the government is today announcing "unprecedented measures".

And in a significant new move the Government will also pay 70pc of employee wages up to €410 per week for businesses who are willing to meet the remainder of their staff’s weekly payment.

Last week, the Government introduced the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment which was initially set at €203 per week.

However, the Cabinet today agreed to significantly increase the payment for those who are out of work due the Government’s demand that businesses close during the crisis.

The payment, which is available to employees and self-employed workers who are down income because of the coronavirus, will now increase to €350 per week.

Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty confirmed the increased Covid payments will be made from Friday.

Mr Donohoe said the wage subsidy can be paid to employers from Friday if emergency legislation passes the Oireachtas this week.

There will also be enhanced protections for people facing difficulties with their mortgages, rent or utility bills.

The Finance Minister estimated that the measures will cost €3.7bn for a 12-week period but this will vary depending on the length of the crisis.

He said: "we must act now to avoid an even greater economic challenge in the future".

Mr Donohoe said the measures will required a significant increase in State borrowing but said the country entered the emergency from a "position of strength".

Business Minister Heather Humphreys said that she has met with the major supermarkets and had discussions about their supply chains.

She said they "continue to ensure me we have a strong pipeline of products for our citizens".

The early days of the crisis was marked by panic buying, despite repeated reassurance from government and retailers that stock-piling was not necessary.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was asked about the slow pace of government formation talks.

He said the focus has to be on the Covid-19 crisis.

He mentioned that he will be taking part in a European Council meeting by video link later this week.

Mr Varadkar said: "to the extent we can find time we are finding time."

He said he expects more talks between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil tomorrow.

But he said: "the priority has to be Covid-19 and I don't think people would expect anything less."

Meanwhile, the school and college shutdown is being extended until Monday April 20 at the earliest, but no decision has been taken in relation to the State written exams in June.

The Leaving Cert and Junior Cycle exams are still scheduled to go ahead as normal, but that could change, depending on the spread of Covid-19 in the community.

In the worst case scenario, schools would not return until end of August/ September, more than five months after closing their doors on March 12.

The extended shutdown leaves little time for post-primary schools, which wrap up by the end of May anyway, to resume in a meaningful way in the current academic year.

The primary school year continues to the end of June, so that offers more latitude for a resumption of classes at the country’s 3,000 primary schools, if circumstances allow.

While the orals and practicals, which were due to start his week, have been cancelled, running the written exams is now the top priority of the Department of Education.

However, if it is too problematic to run all the exams, the Leaving Cert will get priority.

Some 126,000 students are entered for the June exams – 61,053 due to sit the Leaving Cert and 65,190 at Junior Cycle level.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced the extension as part of a wider package of measures to restrict the spread of the virus.

The Government is also to introduce emergency legislation to allow retired soldiers re-join the Defence Forces.

The new laws have been in the pipe line for a number of months but are now being fast-tracked as part of the Government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Defence Forces are preparing for a great role in the State’s response to the national health crisis and the legislation will clear the path for retired soldiers to return to service.

Defence Minister Paul Kehoe brought an amendment to the Defence Act to Cabinet today ahead of the Dáil holding an emergency sitting on Thursday.

The new measures in Ireland come after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told families in the UK, including Northern Ireland, to stay at home except when shopping for basic necessities and to perform one type of exercise a day.

Last night, Johnson ordered the UK public to stay at home to halt the spread of coronavirus, imposing curbs on everyday life without precedent in peacetime.

Irish Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan, said yesterday that his officials are engaging with their colleagues in Northern Ireland “multiple times a day”.

“The disease does not recognise any border. We need to ensure that the measures we deploy are as coherent and consistent as they can be. We are converging in our approaches to that.

“The measures they are considering in Northern Ireland are measures we will also give consideration to in an ongoing basis,” he added.

Asked to comment on the current number of cases, which rose to 1,125 yesterday, after another jump of 219 new people diagnosed with the virus, he said the Republic remains in the “early stages of the infection” relative to how it may progress.

Online Editors