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Level 3 Covid-19 restrictions in force nationwide

Level 3 Covid-19 restrictions in force nationwide
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Level 3 restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19 are now in place across the country for three weeks.

The restrictions mean that people are asked not to travel outside their county, social gatherings are limited, and restaurants and cafes are limited to takeaways and outdoor dining.

You can find the full list of restrictions here.

The level three restrictions come into effect as last night, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar warned that a short 'circuit-breaker' lockdown, like that proposed by the National Public Health Emergency Team but rejected by Government, remains on the table.

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Sources present a meeting of the Fine Gael parliamentary party on Tuesday night told the Irish Times that Mr Varadkar "basically said that a circuit breaker lockdown might, or might not work, but left us under no illusions that it is on the horizon".

Professor of Immunology at Trinity College Dublin, Kingston Mills, doesn't think the Level 3 measures are enough:

"I think a one month pause on entertainment might be a good plan at this stage, so shutting all pubs and restaurants and confining it to takeaways might be a good measure, together with trying to persuade people to limit their contacts in private houses," he said.

Traffic jams are to be used by gardaí from this morning to discourage people from making unnecessary journeys.

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Operation Fanacht came into force at midnight across the country in order to support compliance with Level 3 restrictions, with 132 checkpoints set to take place a day on main roads and thousands more in towns and villages.

Gardaí will not have enforcement powers, however, if compliance becomes a problem they will be requested.

Liam Herrick from the Irish Council for Civil Liberties said the lockdown in spring showed how people react to those measures.

"The thinking is, is that a visible presence and checkpoints where the guards give information and advice to people is likely to be of significant assistance, and there is a fair bit of evidence to back that up from our earlier experiences," he said.

"But I think what’s also being said is that if we go to the next level, Level 4, then we are likely to return to enforceable regulations."

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