Cabinet Ministers have been meeting to approve extending the lockdown until March 5th.
A number of new travel-related COVID restrictions are also expected to be approved by Ministers.
The national lockdown will be extended until March 5th with few changes.
Construction is expected to stay largely shut until then, but there is some hope among Ministers of a return for Special Education next month.
NPHET has warned there’s likely to still be as many as 1,300 people in hospital with Covid by the end of February – something that’s led to the extension.
Here locally, there’s been a a significant fall-off in the number of COVID patients being treated at University Hospital Limerick.
Last night, there were 112 people being treated for the virus in the group’s hospitals, down from 148 the night before.
The number receiving intensive care – 19 – has remained the same.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin says as long as hospitals are under strain there will need to be restrictions.
There will be new fines for people who break self-isolation when coming into Ireland, which will be accompanied by greater garda presence near ports and airports.
Transport Minister Eamon Ryan says there will be mandatory quarantine in hotels for others.
It doesn’t go as far as full mandatory quarantine for everyone entering the country, with some opposition politicians saying the measures don’t go far enough.
Among these are Clare’s Sinn Fein TD, who has branded the expected new measures as ‘weak’ and ‘not good enough’.
Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne believes incoming travellers should be tested again post-arrival, even if they produce a negative PCR test beforehand.
