The Chief Medical Officer has issued a heartfelt plea to the public, urging everyone to keep adhering to health advice as Ireland emerges from locdown.
Level Five restrictions ended on Tuesday, meaning shops, gyms, hairdressers, leisure centres and golf courses could all reopen.
The return of bars serving food and restaurants will come on Friday, while the travel ban will lift a week before Christmas.
And as punters flocked to retail outlets across the country to get started on their Christmas shopping, Dr Tony Holohan issued a message urging everyone to "remain vigilant", adding that we "each have a role" to play.
Speaking as Ireland recorded 18 deaths and 269 cases, Dr Holohan said: “The hard work and sacrifices that have been made by people over the last six weeks to suppress COVID-19 means that we are now in a position to reopen non-essential retail and to travel within our counties.
“It is up to every person, individually, to remain vigilant to the spread of this disease, to assess the risk that is involved in any social activity.
"We need to keep the public health advice at the centre of our minds and do not have visitors to our homes, outside of any necessary visitors in a support bubble, until the 18 of December.
“Each one of us has a role in shaping the national picture on COVID-19 in the coming weeks.
"It is vital that you keep hand washing, wear face coverings and keep a 2m distance from each other, to protect public health, to protect vital public services and to give us the best chance to continue to minimise the spread of the disease.”
