In his speech last night Taoiseach Leo Varadkar mentioned the phrase 'cocooning' - something most people had never heard of in the context of the coronavirus.
As the Covid-19 outbreak continues to get worse it is likely to more measures will be put into place including this method to keep elderly people safe.
The Taoiseach said: "At a certain point, we will advise the elderly and people who have a long-term illness to stay at home for several weeks.
We are putting in place the systems to ensure that if you are one of them, you will have food, supplies and are checked on.
We call this ‘cocooning’ and it will save many lives… particularly the most vulnerable… the most precious in our society."
But what exactly does this mean?
What is cocooning?
Professor Sam McConkey, Infectious Disease Specialist at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland told RTE's Morning Ireland: "It's a little bit akin to self-isolation but with others helping with that as we actually have been doing in Ireland.
"Helping others who are in isolation to get the groceries and to maybe get some food and to help them with the practical realities of daily life.
"So cocooning is when others help the more vulnerable.
"Certainly these people will have to social distance from others but going out into the garden into the wind and the rain is probably fine, perhaps going for a walk more than two metres from others and not touching materials is fine."
When will it happen here?
At the moment it is not clear when cocooning would be implemented here in Ireland.
It is likely if the situation kept growing at a rate of 30% per day it would have to be brought in - however it will be completely up to the government.
