The restrictions mean that people are asked not to travel outside their county, social gatherings are limited, and restaurants and cafes are limited to takeaways and outdoor dining.
It comes as last night Tánaiste Leo Varadkar warned that a short “circuit-breaker” lockdown, like that proposed by the National Public Health Emergency Team but rejected by Government, remains on the table.
He basically said that a circuit breaker lockdown might, or might not work, but left us under no illusions that it is on the horizon.
Sources who attended a meeting of the Fine Gael parliamentary party told the Irish Times: “He basically said that a circuit breaker lockdown might, or might not work, but left us under no illusions that it is on the horizon.”
A Professor of immunology at Trinity College Dublin, Kingston Mills, has also said that he does not believe that Level 3 measures will be enough to stop the spread of the virus.
“I think a one month pause on entertainment might be a good plan at this stage, so shutting all pubs and restaurants and confining it to takeaways might be a good measure, together with trying to persuade people to limit their contacts in private houses,” he said.
Policing
Traffic jams are expected from this morning as gardaí set up checkpoints to discourage people from making unnecessary journeys.
Operation Fanacht came into force at midnight across the country in order to support compliance with Level 3 restrictions, with 132 checkpoints set to take place a day on main roads and thousands more in towns and villages.
Gardaí will not have enforcement powers, however, if compliance becomes a problem they will be requested.
Liam Herrick from the Irish Council for Civil Liberties said the lockdown in spring showed how people react to those measures.
“The thinking is, is that a visible presence and checkpoints where the guards give information and advice to people is likely to be of significant assistance, and there is a fair bit of evidence to back that up from our earlier experiences,” he said.
“But I think what’s also being said is that if we go to the next level, Level 4, then we are likely to return to enforceable regulations.”
