Ireland lockdown restrictions could last from between eight weeks to as long as six months as Government officials give their take on the third wave of the deadly virus.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said that although the latest set of new rules that were announced yesterday will be reviewed on January 12, it is likely that they will be in place until March at the latest.
He said: "It’s difficult to speculate about the timeline. But I think it’ll probably be towards the end of February or early March before a critical mass of the population is vaccinated.
"I think we need to operate on the basis that these restrictions may well be in place until that happens – although we will review the situation on January 12.
"Perhaps we’ll be able to get some positive decisions about January, but I think we should all operate on the basis that these restrictions will be in place for the first two months of next year."
And before any announcement was made on Tuesday, Taoiseach Micheal Martin warned the public that there could be as much as a "six month" period of restrictions.
The Fianna Fail leader said that Ireland was looking at half a year of new and reintroduced rules as we prepare to go back and forth from one level to the next.
The Taoiseach said it was vital to get the public vaccinated but it was also essential to remain cautious even when the vaccine is successfully circualting.
He told Echo Live: "We’ll be looking at restrictions for the next six months.
"It’s going to be a parallel process of vaccinating the public while at the same time keeping the pressure on the virus."
You can find a full list of new rules being implemented from tomorrow onwards here.
