The Chief Medical Officer says the current trajectory of Covid-19 here is of "grave concern", as people are being urged to rethink their Christmas plans to protect elderly and vulnerable loved ones.
The country will move to Level 5 restrictions tomorrow in an attempt to stop the spread of the disease.
Hotels, Gastropubs, hairdressers and beauticians will have to close, while restrictions on household visits and inter-county travel will be phased in from St. Stephen's Day.
970 new cases were recorded yesterday - the highest in almost two months.
There were 50 new cases confirmed in Donegal. Elsewhere locally there were less than 5 cases reported in Sligo and none in Leitrim.
Professor at Queens University Belfast, Ultan Power, says people travelling from abroad should not be coming home for the festive season:
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