Cabinet due to meet at 4pm re increased Covid Restrictions nationally

The minister also said the new restrictions will be nationwide rather than county by county.

As of 2pm on Saturday, 277 Covid-19 patients were in hospital, of which 33 were in intensive care.

The tougher measures are due to be approved by the Government on Monday.

While NPHET has signalled the need for an immediate move to Level 5, full lockdown with only schools and essential retail remaining open, it is expected that the Government will move to a level somewhere between Level 4 and Level 5.

Senior sources said on Sunday night that the Government will agree to "Level 4-plus" restrictions for the entire country for a period of three to four weeks at a specially-convened Cabinet meeting on Monday afternoon.

He added: "The Government is meeting throughout the day and we will have a clear statement from Government this evening".

"We are asking people to take restrictions for a second time and bearing in mind what people can sustain", the Minister said.

"The Health team briefed Ministers that children were safer in schools, transmission rates are low, and that the continued opening of schools is very important to the development and wellbeing of children and young people".

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, she said that the people who are going to really struggle would like to see the pandemic unemployment payment and wage subsidies restored fully.

"(And) reinstates an absolute ban on evictions and and that mortgage holders are not left at the mercy of banks". The death toll now stands at 1,852.

Sinn Fein housing spokesman Eoin O Broin has criticised the Government's five-level roadmap for living with coronavirus, saying it has "caused enormous confusion".

He did not say what Level is planned but said tighter restrictions would be applied to all counties. However the petition, which had nearly 27,000 signatories on Monday morning, said closing gyms would "affect many people mentally and physically and cause long-lasting effects for people, families and their loved ones". Not just a plan in terms of the new restrictions and the additional supports, but what we do on the other side of that.