Garda checkpoints will be set up across the country today and people without a good reason to be on the road will be sent home

Restrictions on movement are expected to be extended today with the government likely to ask the nation to stay at home for up to three more weeks.

The health minister yesterday hinted at life after lockdown by saying that Ireland would have to move to the next phase in the coming weeks, but not until the spread of the virus has been slowed further.

It came as 500 new cases of the Covid-19 were confirmed in Ireland last night, along with 28 more deaths. The total number of cases stands at 6,574, along with a death toll of 263, since the outbreak began.

The main developments included:

• Micheál Martin, the Fianna Fáil leader, claimed that more than 50,000 people in Ireland were waiting