Leo Varadkar has announced a series of new, more stringent restrictions in the hope of halting the spread of Covid-19 in Ireland.
While reluctant to use the term 'lockdown', the new measures announced by Varadkar amount to what is an effective lockdown in the Republic of Ireland.
An Taoiseach has instructed people to stay in their homes for the next two weeks with only a few exceptions to the rule, which will be enforced by Gardai.
The measures will become effective from midnight tonight and will remain valid until Easter Sunday, April 12.
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The exemptions to the 'stay at home' restrictions listed by An Taoiseach are as follows:
- People working in essential services such as healthcare and social care that cannot be done from home (a full list of these essential jobs will be published later tonight).
- Shopping for food or essential household goods or to collect a meal.
- To attend medical appointments or collect medicines and other healthcare products.
- Vital family reasons such as providing care to children, elderly or vulnerable people.
- To exercise physically within a 2km radius of home, which may include children, as long as social distancing is observed.
- For farming purposes.
All public and private gatherings of any amount of people outside a single household are now prohibited.
More to follow...
