Tanaiste Leo Varadkar has issued a grim lockdown update as Ireland enters a fresh period of restrictions.
Last night it was announced that we will be staying under strict Level Five measures until March 5.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin confirmed in an address to the nation that the country is facing a prolonged third shutdown.
And there has been more bleak news as Fine Gael leader Varadkar this afternoon said that we won't be seeing everything reopen on this date.
He told Bryan Dobson on RTE Radio One that there is unlikely to be a move to Level Three of the Living with Covid roadmap on March 5, and any lifting of restrictions would be very gradual.
He explained: "What happens between now and March 5 if things go to plan is that we get case numbers down very low, that we allow our hospitals and ICUs recover.
"We see the number of patients in hospitals falling but ICUs are going to be under pressure for a long time.
"It will enable us to reopen education in a phased way over the next five weeks which is what we want to do, and also to get the vaccine out to more people.
"What I anticipate is when it comes to March 5 if we have cases low, if we have ICUs under a lot less pressure, is that we will be able to ease some restrictions.
"But it will be a very gradual easing of restrictions more like what you saw under the first wave, rather than a jump from Level Five to Three, which is what we did in December."
And there was some optimism, as Mr Varadkar suggested people from different households could be allowed to meet up outdoors from this date, while some personal services or retail could potentially reopen.
It comes after Micheal Martin yesterday refused to say that the lockdown would end in six weeks time.
Speaking during a press briefing on Tuesday evening the Taoiseach said "there are no guarantees" lockdown will end on March 5.
He did offer some optimism that "we might do better" than anticipated in terms of bringing the number of cases down however for now the restrictions will be reviewed on March 5 when a decision will be made.
During the press briefing Mr Martin also said that current restrictions are having a "positive impact" on prevalence of Covid in the community but he insisted that numbers in hospital are still "too high".
Here is everything you need to know about the current shutdown:
Most of society stays shut
Pubs, restaurants and retailers got no sign of reprieve yesterday as Micheal Martin told them to keep their doors closed for the foreseeable future.
It's now unlikely that the food-and-drink industry will be back before Easter, with some privately worrying it could be May before boozers are back.
And non-essential retailers can't welcome customers for another six weeks at least, as Ireland persists with a "cautious and conservative" strategy for tackling high case numbers.
No decision on schools
We're not sure yet exactly what the Government's plan is for getting kids back into classrooms.
The Tanaiste has said he wants a phased reopening – starting with special schools and followed by primary schools and exam classes.
But it's not clear yet how or when that will happen.
Construction
Construction sites remain closed for the time being amid fears that the new UK strain of the virus may spell disaster for those mixing in public settings.
It's an unfortunate update for builders across the country – as well as those hoping to get houses and buildings finished.
Foreign travel
Foreign travel has been thrust under the microscope in recent weeks by opposition politicians determined to pressure the Government into stricter measures.
And while many said the coalition hasn't gone far enough with its new mandatory quarantine rules, it is clear that the Taoiseach and Tanaiste want to be seen to tackle the issue.
So there are going to be tightened rules around hotel quarantine – for those who arrive over without a negative PCR test, at least – as well as new fines for those caught sneaking abroad for a sun holiday.
Bold cases prediction
The Tanaiste said yesterday that case numbers are roughly halving every 10 days – meaning we could be down to 500 cases a day in 10 days' time and "half that again" in under three weeks.
Daily case numbers in the low hundreds now feels like an attainable target again, after a gigantic surge over the festive period and in January.
But the Government isn't going to be easing off too soon – not this time, after major backlash the last time a reopening led to a spike.
