Irish health officials have this evening reported 3,633 new Covid cases over the past 24 hours.
634 people are now in hospital receiving treatment for severe side effects of the infections - marking an increase of 20 since Tuesday - while five more people are in the ICU, totalling 119.
As the peak of this current surge is predicted for the middle of December, the incoming restrictions announced on Tuesday are expected to help slow the spread.
It is understood that a winter lockdown will be avoided at all costs by government and health officials however, Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan has said they cannot rule anything out.
Earlier today, Holohan warned that the country could face 400,000 cases of Covid-19 in December unless the trajectory of the disease is altered.
He said at this point in the pandemic there is "no silver bullet" that can stop the virus, and vaccines alone won't be enough to prevent widespread transmission.
Meanwhile, the Taoiseach and Health Minister have both also refused to rule out the potential for further lockdown measures before Christmas.
The measures put in place are to be reviewed at the end of November, Mr Martin said.
However, he said that NPHET is due to meet again in two weeks and he cannot rule out the recommendation for more restrictions.
The Taoiseach said: "I know that the picture emerging across Europe and the increasing numbers over the last week in our own country are a cause of deep concern.
“I’m taking this step by step and we’ll see closer to the end of this month what the scenario will look like for December."
