The Government has published a six-month plan aimed at "managing risk and repairing the damage that COVID-19 has inflicted on society".

The Framework for Restrictive Measures consists of five levels, with level 1 containing the least restrictive measures and level five, the most restrictive.

The country is currently at level 2, which means that so-called wet pubs can reopen on September 21 "with robust measures in place". However, Dublin faces tighter restrictions due to increasing cases of the virus, so wet pubs will not be allowed to reopen in Dublin on that date.

According to the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, moving to level 3 "is a very significant decision in terms of the impact on certain sectors in society and the economy".

"The Dublin situation is worrying and clearly the numbers are going in the wrong direction, so we are very concerned about it. That's why we are appealing to people, in terms of their personal behavior, in terms of household gatherings, to keep them to the absolute minimum.

"Reduce your contacts and adhere to the public health guidance in order to try and avoid getting to a level 3 situation," Mr Martin said.

According to Tanaiste, Leo Varadkar, for most people in the country, "today brings some good news". However, he said that for the people of Dublin, this is a crucial time.

"The level of the virus circulating in Dublin city and county has increased more than 10-fold in the past two months. The positivity rate is around 3.5% compared to 2% in the rest of the country," he noted.

He urged those in Dublin not to have people from more than one other household in their homes, to continue to wash hands regularly, to keep two metres distance from others where at all possible, and where that is not possible, to wear a face mask.

Meanwhile, level 2 also allows for:
-Organised indoor events, such as business conferences and training events can take place with up to 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors
-Sports training can take place outdoors in pods of up to 15 and inside in pods of up to six. For matches, up to 50 spectators can attend indoors and 100 outdoors. Outdoors stadiums that can hold at least 5,000 people can have up to 200 spectators
-While wet pubs can reopen in 25 counties, nightclubs, discos and casinos must remain closed
-People should continue to work from home where possible.

To view the fully Framework for Restrictive Measures, click here.