Follow the podcast on
Ireland’s government is putting the country at its highest level of coronavirus restrictions for six weeks in a bid to combat a rise in infections.
Premier Micheal Martin said Monday the measures take effect at midnight Wednesday and run until Dec. 1.
People are being asked to stay at home, with exercise allowed only within a 5-kilometre radius of their home. Only essential stores can open. Restaurants and bars can provide only takeaway service. No social or family gatherings will be allowed in homes or private gardens, but schools will remain open to prioritise education.
Meanwhile, Wales has become the second nation in the United Kingdom to lock down large swaths of the economy to combat a second wave of coronavirus infections even as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is resisting calls to do the same throughout England.
Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said his government backed a short, sharp “firebreak” to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Manchester, meanwhile, is rejecting efforts by Johnson’s Conservative government to move the region into the highest level of restrictions.
LISTEN ABOVE
Take your Radio, Podcasts and Music with you