A midnight closing time for bars, restaurants and nightclubs will come into force from midnight this Thursday, 18 November.
The Cabinet agreed the move at its meeting earlier today.
Normal opening hours for such premises only returned on 22 October after an 11.30pm curfew had been imposed.
It is part of a range of measures aimed at reducing the spread of Covid-19 infections.
The plan also includes advice for employees to work from home as of next Friday, and the requirement for Covid passes in cinemas and theatres.
Responding to the Government's decision, the Licensed Vintners Association called for the immediate re-introduction of Covid supports for the late-night sector.
The LVA said this "will be extraordinarily difficult for those working in late bars, nightclubs and the rest of the late night sector and will place considerable pressures on livelihoods in the run up to Christmas".
The association said support schemes like the Covid Restrictions Support Scheme, Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme and Pandemic Unemployment Payment must be reimplemented immediately, "along with the waiving of commercial rates for as long as the restrictions remain in place".
Donall O’Keeffe, Chief Executive of the LVA said: "We were told that if we waited until the majority of the public was vaccinated we would be able to get back to trading. Well, we waited and that wasn’t enough.
"Late night hospitality was closed for 585 consecutive days, got to open for 27 days and now they face another indefinite period of closure," he said.
Mr O’Keefe said the latest restrictions "casts significant doubt about the viability of the late-night sector for as long as the pandemic persists".
Meanwhile, the Restaurants Association of Ireland has also called for business supports for the hospitality industry to be re-instated.
RAI chief executive, Adrian Cummins also said that antigen testing needed to be ramped up.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne programme, he said the message to reduce socialising is having an impact on business, with cancellations now being made in restaurants and hospitality venues.
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A 'bolt out of the blue'
A Dublin nightclub owner has described the decision to close bars, restaurants and nightclubs at midnight from Thursday as a "shock" and a "bolt out of the blue".
Ian Redmond, who owns the Tramline Nightclub, said the decision came without consultation with stakeholders in the night-time economy.
He said it's "a shock, we could have dealt with other things but to close at midnight seems a little bit unfair".
He called on the Government to consult with the LVA about re-instating business supports to "help keep the lights on".
He said he employs 55 staff "who are wondering if they will have a job to come to next week".
Mr Redmond said "if you are going to close us, please support us as our businesses cannot survive".
He stressed that businesses have done all that has been asked of them and some consistency is needed.
He said his nightclub has run sold-out shows to 900 patrons every night since it reopened on 22 October with no outbreaks or infection of staff.
He said that all customers arrive with their Covid certs and ID is checked and just three people or so are turned away each night without certificates.
He said "we did everything we were asked for.. and[for staff] to get the rug pulled from under their feet, with mortgages, rents and bills to pay... we need some certainty".
The Music & Entertainment Association of Ireland (MEAI) said the decision could lead to further job losses in the sector.
MEAI spokesman, Matt McGranaghan said the Government must "immediately reinstate the Pandemic Unemployment Payment and other necessary supports for the survival of the entertainment industry".
He said: "We fully understand the need for measures to curb the spread of Covid-19, to protect the public and our health system, but it is vital that livelihoods are protected too."
He said that an MEAI survey of its members has already shown that "over 75% of those surveyed have had gigs cancelled for November/December, while over 50% are only experiencing a quarter of their pre-Pandemic workload".
He added: "Almost 80% of those surveyed so far believe they will have to take up alternative employment and leave the industry in the coming months. Government must reinstate PUP in order to protect workers and this sector."
