Mr Martin said if people “pulled together over the next six weeks we will have the opportunity to celebrate Christmas in a meaningful way.”
Among the announcements he made was that no social or family gathering in homes or gardens are allowed. Everyone is also being asked to stay at home and exercise within 5km of their home. The Taoiseach said legislation will go before Cabinet tomorrow to introduce penalties for those who break the 5km restrictions.
Weddings will be limited to 25 people until the end of year, while bars and restaurants can only serve takeaway.
Mr Martin said at the briefing that extra supports will be available for businesses and mental health services will also be given more supports.
Under the new restrictions, only essential retail outlets will remain open during the six-week period.
Construction work will continue while most maunfacturing will remain open. Schools will also remain open under the move to level 5.
People living or parenting alone can form a support bubble with one other household.
The Taoiseach said that neither zero tolerance restrictions nor a herd immunity strategy would work for Ireland. "Many people have done everything that has been asked of them. But some have not. As Taoiseach I am asking everyone again to take this threat seriously."
Schools
On the decision to keep schools open, he said the decision was supported with the advice of Nphet. "This is necessary because we cannot and will not allow our children and young people’s futures to be another victim of this disease. They need their education.
"The fact that we have been able to open our schools and keep them open is because of the extraordinary efforts of our administrators, principals, teachers, Special Needs Assistants, parents, childcare providers, cleaners, caretakers, and entire school communities. They too are on the frontline in this crisis and they deserve the gratitude of the entire nation."
Speaking at a press conference afterwards, the Tanaiste Leo Varadkar defended his previous criticism of Nphet. "What has changed in the past two weeks is that we tried Level 3 but it doesn't look like it worked, unfortunately." He said: "we know now what we want to achieve, to get the R number down." The R number is how many people that one infected person will pass on a virus to, on average.
Mr Martin said the ambition is to return to Level 3 from December 1st and to get the R number down.
Estimating the cost of the move to Level 5 restrictions, Mr Varadkar said that combining the various payment schemes it will cost about €200 million per week, but that does not take account of the potential falls in revenue which may arise from the closure of businesses and is based on an estimate of about 150,000 people being laid off over the next couple of days.
Criticised on RTÉ's Claire Byrne show after the announcement, the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly defended the decision not to move to Level 5 two weeks ago, which Nphet had then recommended. He said it would not have been the right thing to do two weeks ago, but it is now given the figures.At the time Nphet called for a four-week lockdown.
Full restrictions
The full list of Level five restrictions are as follows:
People are asked to stay at home. People should work from home unless providing an essential service for which their physical presence is required (see below for essential services).People will be permitted to exercise within a radius of 5 km of their home.There will be a penalty for movement outside 5km of home, with exemptions to this for essential work and essential purposesIn line with current NPHET advice in respect of Level 5, schools, early learning and childcare services will continue to remain open and are deemed essential.In addition, in recognition of the impact on children and young people of restrictions, non-contact training can continue for school aged children, outdoors in pods of 15. All other training activities should be individual only.There should be no visits to other people’s homes or gardens. However, there will be the concept of an extended household (or support bubble) for defined categories of individuals to support those at risk of social isolation and/or mental ill-healthNo social/family gatherings should take place, with the exemptions to this for weddings and funerals It is possible to meet with one other household in an outdoor setting which is not a home or garden, such as a park, including for exercise.There should be no organised indoor or outdoor events. Essential retail and essential services will remain open Public transport will operate at 25 per cent capacity for the purposes of allowing those providing essential services to get to work [School transport unaffected].In line with current NPHET advice in respect of Level 5, professional, elite sports and inter-county Gaelic games, horse-racing and greyhound racing can continue behind closed doors.Bars, cafes, restaurants and wet pubs may provide take-away and delivery services only. Wet pubs in Dublin remain closed. Hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs may remain open, but only to support provision of essential services.Those aged over 70 and the medically vulnerable are advised to continue to exercise personal judgement. It is recommended that they stay at home as much as possible, limit engagement to a very small network for short periods of time, while remaining physically distanced. When taking exercise outdoors, it is important to maintain 2 metres distance from others and wash hands on returning home. It is recommended to shop during designated hours only, while wearing a face covering, and to avoid public transport. of essential services. Religious services will be available online.Museums, galleries and other cultural attractions will remain closed. Libraries will be available for online services only. Outdoor playgrounds, play areas and parks will remain open with protective measures.Visits to Long Term Residential Care facilities are suspended with the exception of visits required for critical and compassionate circumstances
The Cabinet approved a return to the tightest restrictions under the Government’s Living with Covid plan in a bid to curtail the spread of the virus
