Pubs serving food and restaurants are set to close from midday on Christmas Eve as new lockdown restrictions, being described as 'Level 5 minus', are set to kick into place.
People are being urgently warned to stop socialising in gastro pubs following a massive spike in cases as the Christmas we had expected to have in 2020 has been cancelled.
Inter-county travel is set to be banned starting from midnight on 26 December with a travel ban to and from Britain extended to New Year's Eve.
Household visit limits will be discussed by Cabinet at the crucial crunch meeting this morning with non-essential retail remaining open but services such as hairdressers and barbers closing on 24 December too.
Gyms and sports such as golf and tennis are set to be giving a reprieve however from the latest proposed lockdown measures.
Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan has also written to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly saying that Ireland needs another round of Level 5 restriction to stop the spread of Covid-19 after Christmas.
The 'unofficial' letter between Holohan and Donnelly was written on Monday afternoon with NPHET recommending the strictest of rules once again for the country at the end of the holidays.
The cabinet is meeting early on Tuesday morning to decide on a new set of lockdown restrictions.
Yesterday evening, NPHET confirmed that the country was in a "third wave" of the virus as cases skyrocketed to over the 700 mark with increases expected between now and the New Year.
You can find a full list of everything you can't do from Christmas Eve here and you can follow the latest news from Government and NPHET in our Live Blog here.
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