Cabinet is meeting this morning to sign off on the closure of schools and construction until the end of the month.
A number of other measures will also be introduced including a requirement for people travelling to Ireland to provide a negative Covid-19 test.
With cases of Covid-19 reaching record highs, cabinet is meeting this morning to sign off on a number of measures to curb the spread of the virus.
Schools will close until the end of January at least, but facilities for children with special needs will remain open while creches will be allowed to provide childcare for frontline workers.
The construction sector will also close until the end of the month however some building projects like social housing, will be exempt.
The cabinet is also likely to sign off on people travelling into Ireland being required to provide a negative Covid-19 test.
They will also approve extra restrictions on retail that would see click and collect in shops being replaced by delivery only.
