Cabinet will meet later to decide whether or not to put the country into level five restrictions.
The Chief Medical Officer is meeting with the coalition party leaders this lunchtime to discuss it.
Here, calls are being made for clarity as any move to level five restrictions could be damaging for business.
There’s a lot of political pushback from Ministers to the idea of moving the whole country to level five, not least because of the social and economic reasons, but also because they believe that people might not buy into it.
If adopted, moving to level 5 would mean all social visits would be banned, travel would be restricted to within 5 kilometres of your home and only essential retailers would remain open.
Just last Thursday NPHET said the situation didn’t even warrant moving to level three restrictions and now the cabinet wants a clear explanation of why there’s been such a change in thinking since then.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan is meeting Micheál Martin, Leo Varadkar and Eamon Ryan this lunchtime.
After that, a full cabinet meeting will take place this afternoon, to make what’s likely the biggest decision this coalition has had to face.
Chair of the Oireachtas Covid Committee, Clare’s Independent TD, Michael McNamara says the public needs to know what’s going on.
A Clare Government TD says that a balance needs to be struck between health and the economy.
Fianna Fáil Deputy Cathal Crowe has described the proposals as severe and disproportionate and believes that for counties like Clare, moving to level three would be more appropriate.
Teaching Unions are calling on the Government to explain why schools will remain open if the country is moved to Level 5.
There are calls for a review to be carried out immediately on whether it’s safe for children and staff to continue going to school.
TUI President Martin Marjoram says his members are seriously concerned.
Meanwhile, 150 people are being treated at Irish hospitals for Covid-19, including seven at University Hospital Limerick.
The number has been steadily rising with just 111 being treated nationally this day last week.
Figures from the HSE show that 21 people with the disease are in ICU, two of those in Dooradoyle.
The highest number of people in hospital with Covid-19 was in mid-April when 881 patients were being treated across the country.
