Ireland’s Coronavirus lockdown is to be extended until March 5, premier Micheal Martin has said.
The Irish Cabinet approved extending the Republic of Ireland’s Level 5 restrictions for another six weeks.
Implemented ahead of Christmas after increasing COVID-19 cases, the restrictions were to last until January 31 pending review.
The restrictions could now lift on 5 March and would bring the Republic in line with proposals in Northern Ireland.
He said: “We cannot give the virus or its variants any space.
“Therefore, the government has decided to to extend all of the current Level Five restrictions until the fifth of March, with a view to crushing the numbers of those contracting the disease, and in turn the numbers needing hospitalisation and intensive care.”
The Taoiseach has said lockdown restrictions are having a positive impact, forcing case numbers down.
The change comes with more travel restrictions - and mandatory quarantines for people travelling from coronavirus hotspots.
It cames as UK hit more than 115,000 deaths involving Covid-19.
The total is based on the latest available reports on death registrations, plus more recent data on the Government’s coronavirus dashboard.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also show that the number of UK deaths, based on mentions of Covid-19 on death certificates, passed 100,000 on January 7 2021.
