Pubs and restaurants will now close at 8pm from Sunday as part of Ireland's new Christmas Covid restrictions.
The Government has been debating the proposals from health experts all day with some changes to what was originally recommended.
The measures announced by Taoiseach Micheal Martin tonight are;
- Pubs, restaurants and all hospitality to close at 8pm from Sunday.
- No indoor events after 8pm.
- Attendance at indoor events earlier should be 50% or 1,000 people - whichever is lower.
- Outdoor events attendance at 50% or 5,000 - whichever is lower.
Max of 100 guests at weddings, which can stay until midnight.
- Change to close contact rules - more here.
The Taoiseach said the Omicron is "exploding" across Europe and that European leaders are extremely concerned.
In a briefing with journalists, NPHET members have said Omicron is spreading between 2-4 times faster than the Delta variant.
Professor Philip Nolan has said between 650 and 1,000 people could end up in hospital in January at the peak in NPHET’s most optimistic scenario.
In their most pessimistic situation, NPHET has said up to 2,000 could be in hospital at the peak in January.
Up to 20,000 Covid-19 cases per day could occur in the coming weeks if social mixing continues at current levels.
NPHET have confirmed 3,628 cases of Covid-19 on Friday and 420 patients are in hospital.
There are 105 people in ICU.
Reacting to the 8pm curfew, Dr Holohan said the key in making recommendations is to "drive down" transmission.
