There are fears of further Level 5 restrictions as a 'new Covid-19 strain' could lead to a case surge at Christmas in Ireland.
The whole country is at risk of being infected by the new strain which can spread rapidly and is just as deadly as the current strain but it is understood that there is a 'low risk' that it will not respond to vaccines.
Irish labs were alerted of the strain yesterday after it was believed to be the reason for the rise in cases in England - leading to fears about those travelling to Ireland from the UK over the festive period.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan warned that all non-essential travel in and out of Ireland to the UK should be postponed for the time being.
While Deputy CMO Dr Ronan Glynn said it was "too early" to say if the new strain was in Ireland but did not want to give any "false confidence" to the public.
Ireland has now secured 14 million vaccine doses in a bid to blitz Covid-19.
A masterplan to roll out the jabs will also see mass vaccination centres set up around the country, Dublin Live has learned.
The blueprint to be unveiled by Government today details five separate “vaccine administration locations” including hospitals, nursing homes, GP surgeries and pharmacies.
The rollout plan comes as health chiefs are warning of rising virus transmission and further restrictions in the run-up to Christmas.
