Thousands more people are staying at home from work today after new restrictions on the retail sector.
Factories and construction sites remain open, but are being asked to put in place measures to allow social distancing. Theatres, clubs, marts and bingo halls are among a list of businesses are now closed.
Extensive new restrictions mean all non-essential shops should be closed from today. Those remaining open include food shops, pharmacies and hardware stores.
There's been some criticism of the decision to keep construction sites and factories open - with some parties saying it means thousands of people will be heading into dangerous workplaces this morning.
Construction sites where safe distancing cannot be practiced are being advised to close. Away from the measures introduced, efforts to form a new government will continue today. Fine Gael and Fianna Fail will meet to exchange policy papers. The Coronavirus has changed the nature of these talks. On one hand all sides know it's not ideal to have an interim government making massive decisions on behalf of the country.
On the other, they're calls that need to be made now and are largely above politics.Either way there's an expectation that negotiations between the two parties need to speed up
