Emergency services, households and businesses around the country are beginning the first full week living and working under further restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus.
On Friday night, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said people would be allowed to leave their home only for essential work, to buy food, attend medical appointments, vital family reasons or to take exercise within 2km of their home.
The restrictions will remain in force for the next two weeks until Easter Sunday when they will be reviewed.
Minister for Health Simon Harris met representatives of Nursing Homes Ireland earlier today to discuss concerns over the number of cases of Covid-19 in facilities.
The latest figures show there are now 17 clusters of people with Covid-19 in nursing homes.
Following the meeting, Mr Harris said the National Public Health Emergency Team will consider measures for nursing homes tomorrow.
He said this is a key priority area given that clusters have broken out in nursing homes across the State.
CEO of Nursing Homes Ireland Tadhg Daly said he was confident in the sector's ability to manage the crisis.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said that many nursing home residents who tested positive for Covid-19 have made a full recovery, and said they are committed to "ensuring the safety and welfare" of residents.
"We're somewhat concerned that the HSE is still recruiting people from our sector and one of our asks of the Minister today will be to desist recruiting people who are already working on the frontline," Mr Daly said.
"This is a national effort and we need a national response. People who applied to the On Call initiative should be made available to the nursing home sector if and when required."
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There is also a concern that nursing home staff have exhausted their supplies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Mr Daly said.
He said every home should have "at least a two or three-day supply" in the event of a breakout.
"PPE is a big concern right across the health sector," he said. "Nursing homes are no different."
Mr Daly also urged the families of nursing home residents to stay in contact, either through Skype and FaceTime or by writing letters.
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The co-owner of Windmill Healthcare, which owns and operates five nursing homes across the country, has said infection control policies are in place and nursing staff have been preparing for the possibility of a Covid-19 case in one of their homes for a number of weeks.
However, Denis McElligott said there were no confirmed cases as of midnight.
Mr McElligott said isolation rooms had been identified and plans were in place for a possible outbreak.
Also speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said the current situation was very difficult for residents who miss their families and the regular engagement that they normally have.
However, he said, many residents are very resolute, have been through difficult times in the past and are great educators to the healthcare workers.
Colin Doherty, consultant neurologist and honorary senior lecturer in neurology at St James's Hospital, said he was afraid he would be forced to make life or death choices for Covid-19 patients, based on the equipment available to him.
Dr Doherty said deciding not to treat someone because the equipment is needed for someone else is an "almost inconceivable choice" and one that some doctors abroad are having to make.
Dr Doherty said the life or death choices that doctors make every day are "of a completely different order" and usually involve a patient who is receiving futile treatment.
Yesterday, it was announced that 200 more people had diagnosed positive for Covid-19, bringing the total to 2,615. Ten people were announced to have died yesterday, taking the total number of deaths in Ireland to 46.
The number of people in intensive care units has risen to 88. On the island of Ireland, there are now 3,025 cases and there have been 67 deaths.
Around 80% of cases of Covid-19 will be a mild to moderate illness, close to 14% have severe disease and around 6% are critical.
HSE 'has good supply chain'
The Health Service Executive's Chief Operations Officer said a lot of pressure will be put on hospitals and community services over the coming weeks and months, but she was confident there were enough ventilators in the system and there will be adequate PPE stock for healthcare staff.
Anne O'Connor said the HSE has secured a significant amount of ventilators and has a good a supply chain.
She said that PPE stock that arrived yesterday is being distributed around the country with those hospitals in greatest need targeted first.
In addition, she said, the HSE has secured a significant amount of PPE stock and there will be continuous supply of this equipment arriving over the coming weeks.
Ten flights are due to arrive by Wednesday and there will be a further 300 flights bringing PPE stock over the coming weeks.
Ms O'Connor said there are more than 2,000 beds available in the acute hospital system and around 170 intensive care beds.
However, she added that the HSE is enhancing its capacity.
China's Ambassador in Ireland has said he and his embassy staff are helping co-ordinate the delivery of PPE supplies to Ireland.
He Xiangdong said the supply chain in China is under huge pressure, but the country would do its best to meet global demand.
He said the HSE procurement department was working closely with suppliers in China and every effort would be made to ensure that PPE stocks are of the required standards.
Mr He said China has been forced to impose strict measures on international flights arriving in the country because of a rising number of imported Covid-19 cases.
He told RTÉ's Morning Ireland that life in Wuhan, where the outbreak began, is not 100% normal but slowing returning "step by step, day by day".
