Ireland announces emergency six-week lockdown with some of Europe's toughest restrictions

Ireland announced some of Europe's toughest Covid-19 restrictions on Monday, plunging the country into lockdown for six weeks. Taoiseach Micheál Martin moved the country to the highest level of measures following a surge in coronavirus cases in the country. The lockdown, which will come into effect from midnight on Wednesday, will shut non-essential retail, close restaurants and pubs, and order people not to travel further than 3 miles from their homes. The travel ban is the strictest anywhere on the Continent. Schools will stay open and essential services such as construction will be allowed to continue, the Government said, while hotels can remain open only if they are providing rooms for essential workers. In an address to the Irish people on Monday night, Mr Martin said: "The evidence of a potentially grave situation arising in the weeks ahead is now too strong." He added: "The Irish people will persevere, and we will come through this, together." Read more on this: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020... Subscribe to The Telegraph on YouTube ► https://bit.ly/3idrdLH Get the latest headlines: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/ Telegraph.co.uk and    / telegraphtv   are websites of The Telegraph, the UK's best-selling quality daily newspaper providing news and analysis on UK and world events, business, sport, lifestyle and culture.