Micheal Martin has confirmed that Ireland will enter a Level Five full-scale lockdown from midnight.
The Taoiseach made the grim announcement in a State of the Nation address this evening.
It means that non-essential retail, gyms and leisure centres will all be forced to close once again from tomorrow.
Golf courses and tennis clubs, which were originally allowed to remain open when more measures were brought in last week, will also shut.
The 5km travel limit is also returning, except for essential reasons.
Schools will open a few days later than originally planned and are now expected to reopen on January 11.
Lockdown restrictions will be in place until January 31 and will then be reviewed by Cabinet.
Household visits will also be banned.
Government made the decision this afternoon afternoon on the foot of advice from the National Public Health Emergency Team.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan and his colleagues recommended urgent action to combat the spread of Covid-19.
Health chiefs are concerned about the spiraling number of new cases, which hit a daily record of 1,546 on Tuesday.
Hospital numbers, which is another major worry, have also risen rapidly to 454.
But the news will come as a massive blow for the retail sector, with bosses earlier saying they were “bewildered and extremely disappointed” at the move.
Managing Director of Retail Excellence Ireland, Duncan Graham, said the closure would be a “draconian measure” and would “prove fatal” for businesses.
He said businesses understand the seriousness of the situation but retailers had responded positively to requests made by the government.
He said: “This latest request to delay sales has resulted in footfall being around 50% down.
“There’s no comparison in terms of what’s going on in retail now compared to what was going on in retail in 2019.”
The closure of non-essential retail would see around 40,000 workers put back on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP).
