Ireland extends lockdown until March

Non-essential retailers in the Republic of Ireland will be shut until at least March as the country extends its lockdown.

The current Level 5 restrictions have been extended until 5 March, prime minister Micheal Martin announced at a press conference, though he didn't rule out the possibility of extending it further.

Martin said that while cases were “going in the right direction,” the extension of restrictions would be needed to continue driving down rates of infection and taking the strain off of the country’s health system.

Similarly, Northern Ireland announced last week it would be extending its lockdown until 5 March in an effort to drive down Covid cases.

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