Micheal Martin has called for community strength to get through new Level 3 restrictions.
In a national address the Taoiseach said “ni neart go cur le chéile” as he announced the entire country is now about to enter Level 3 restrictions of the Living with Covid roadmap from midnight on Tuesday.
The famous Irish phrase means “no strength without unity”.
Mr Martin called for solidarity that he believes is necessary if the country is to avoid further escalations of lockdown restrictions.
The Government defied a NPHET recommendation to move to Level 5 of the alert system - something that took the country by surprise when news of it broke on Sunday night.
And the Taoiseach spoke live on RTE's Nine O’Clock News to explain to the country why the latest course of action has been taken.
He said: “I understand how frustrated people are and how the yearning for normality grows stronger all the time.
“However, Covid is still deadly.
“It has challenged us to the very core, but we have shown that we can be resilient.
“I believe that we all understand what we have to do and have confidence that we have the impact that this requires.
“I have no doubt that we can and will get through this.
“Ni neart go cur le chéile.”
Mr Martin also indicated that there is still a long way to go in the battle against Covid, adding that the virus would still have a “profound impact” on Irish society until a vaccine is found and widely distributed.
He said: “The facts show an exponential increase in the spread of the virus.
“We all must respond.
“The virus has had a profound impact on every aspect of society.
“And until there is an effective vaccine, and it is widely distributed, it will continue to do so.
“This is still a virus that is deadly and can cause lasting harm to those who recover from it.”
