Ireland put under six-week lockdown with level 5 restrictions stopping anyone travelling over 3 miles from home
IRELAND will be plunged into a full national lockdown for SIX WEEKS with people told to stay within three miles from home.
Tightened coronavirus restrictions were signed off by government ministers today but schools will remain open and elite sport – like horse racing and Gaelic football - will continue.
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Ireland's covid restrictions are run on a five-level system, with the harshest measures being level 5.
Ministers believe that giving businesses until Wednesday is enough time to prepare - with many non essential shops and hairdressers set to close.
Off-licences could be forced to operate under reduced hours, but this is under review.
There has now been 50,993 cases of the killer bug in the republic - bringing the total number of infections past 50,000 for the first time.
The death toll has remained at 1,852.
Of the cases confirmed today, 511 are in men while 518 were reported in women.
While 70 per cent of those diagnosed are under 45 years of age.
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The median age of those reported today is 30 years old.
There were 235 new cases recorded in Dublin, 232 in Cork, 60 in Galway, 47 in Limerick, 47 in Kerry, and the remaining 410 cases are spread across 21 counties.
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