Circuit breaker lockdown: What it is, how it works and is Ireland going to do it?

The term "circuit breaker" has been banded around in recent days after first being mentioned by Tanaiste Leo Varadkar last Monday.

Since then there has been debates as to whether Ireland should adopt a circuit breaker strategy to stop the growth of Covid-19 here.

Israel is cited as the only country so far to try it with the Tanaiste labelling it a risk.

But what exactly does it mean and what would it look like? Here's all you need to know.

A person wearing a face guard sits on a bench with social distancing signage on Merrion Street during the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic in Dublin's city centre (Gareth Chaney/Collins)

What is a circuit breaker lockdown?

The idea of a circuit breaker would involve a total lockdown similar to what was put in place at the start of the pandemic.

However this would be for a much shorter period of time such as two weeks and would only be put in place if cases continue to soar.

The idea of the circuit breaker would give the country time to bring cases down over a period of a couple of weeks while also allowing time for contact tracers to aggressively pursue cases and curb further spread of the virus.

What would life be like with a circuit breaker?

Effectively, if it was to happen Ireland would just move to level five for the two or three weeks it's in place.

This would be a return to May restrictions basically so no going 5km from your home, strict visitor restrictions and all retail closing except for essentials.

Is it going to happen?

The Taoiseach and Tanaiste have both said that Ireland would not go into lockdown unless completely necessary.

Micheal Martin has today said that level three can work if people follow all the rules.

The Taoiseach said: "At midnight last Tuesday, the Government moved the country to Level 3 of the Plan for Living with Covid-19.  Level 3 involves a greater level of restrictions on people and society – particularly on our hospitality sector.  

"It is being accompanied with stronger compliance measures.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin. (Julien Behal Photography/PA Wire)

"If we all change our behaviours and work together we can make Level 3 work, protect lives and livelihoods, show that we can contain the virus and prevent its growth."

While Tanaiste Leo Varadkar said: "It(circuit breaker lockdown) may well be needed at some point. No other country in Europe has tried this. It would be an experiment but it could work. In Israel it seems to be producing results."