New restrictions have been unveiled by the Government to contain the spread of Covid 19 and will remain in place until at least the end of January.
All schools are to remain closed, with an exception for Leaving Cert students, who will attend classes three days a week.
Special education should remain open with protections in place.
While childcare services will close generally, they can remain open for vulnerable children and children of frontline workers.
All construction, with some exceptions, must cease until January 31st.
Announcing the measures, Taoiseach Michael Martin says the challenge facing Irish people is stark: