Tight Covid-19 restrictions will remain in place until early April.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland this morning, An Taoiseach Michéal Martin said full details will be revealed in the Government’s Living with Covid Plan, due to be published in the week beginning on February 20th, but it looks like many measures will be in place for a while yet.

Asked if the current Level 5 restrictions are likely to be extended beyond March, Mr Martin said the matter remains up for discussion but it looks like Easter, which falls on April 4th this year, is the next deadline.

“We are looking at a continuation of high levels of restrictions to the Easter period. That remains to be determined by the Government,” he told the programme.

The Taoiseach said that the reopening of schools and the construction sector must be prioritised, but not before the extraordinary pressure on frontline healthcare workers is relieved.

“We have to get those numbers down, we have to relieve those pressures, not just in the short term but for a sustained period and into the long term,” he said.

“We don’t want that situation happening again in our hospitals.”