Taoiseach Mícheál Martin has confirmed that Ireland will be moving to Level three from next week, with some modifications.
Next Tuesday December first will see retail, gyms, hotels, hairdressers, barbers, museums, golf courses and cinemas allowed to open in a move to level 3, with some modifications.
Cabinet has approved then the re-opening of restaurants, hotel restaurants and gastropubs from next Friday.
The time limits in these settings will be lifted if tables are more than 2 metres apart.
Finally the third stage will be when people are allowed to travel outside their county and visit other people's homes
That will start on December 18th and last until January 6th.
Up to three households will be allowed to meet during this window.
However, Christmas gatherings will come with guidelines.
The government will recommend not hugging or shaking hands with your guests.
Seven further deaths and 206 new cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in the Republic.
There has now been a total of 2,043 coronavirus-related deaths.
Of the new cases, 67 per cent are in people aged under 45, with 64 cases located in Dublin, 23 in Limerick, 20 in Donegal, 18 in Cork, 14 in Louth, 14 in Meath, and the remaining 53 cases spread across 18 other counties in the Republic.
In the South-East - Tipperary (7), Waterford (6), are the only two counties with cases above five.
Kilkenny & Carlow have both confirmed less than five cases, while Wexford hasn't had a new confirmed case in the past 24 hours.
Some 253 Covid-19 patients are in hospital, with 35 in intensive case.
Counties Donegal and Louth have the highest infection rates in the State.
In Donegal, the 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 population is 216, and in Louth it now stands at 199.4. The lowest rate is in Leitrim at 31.2.
The 14-day incidence rate nationally has fallen below 100 to 98.2 cases per 100,000.
Death toll
This comes as the official death toll from coronavirus on the island of Ireland passed 3,000 after a further 12 deaths were reported by the Northern Ireland Department of Health.
The number of Covid-related deaths in the North now stands at 974, while there were also another 391 confirmed cases of the disease recorded in the last 24-hour reporting period.
With 2,043 coronavirus-related deaths in the Republic, the total fatalities on the island has reached 3,017.
Official figures show hospitals in Northern Ireland recorded their highest number of Covid-19-related deaths in the week to November 20th.
Almost 60 per cent of fatalities happened in hospitals but a third were in care homes.
Statistics agency Nisra said: “The 69 Covid-19 deaths occurring in hospital this week represents the largest weekly number in this setting since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.”
