The Chief Medical Officer has appealed to the parents of school children to join in "a concerted effort" to follow the new measures introduced today "for at least the next two weeks".
In a letter to parents setting out the new restrictions and explaining the public health rationale behind them, Tony Holohan says he is hopeful that if this concerted effort takes place, "we can make a real difference to the incidence of disease in children and in the wider public".
Mr Holohan's letter is being sent to primary schools tonight by the Department of Education, and the CMO has requested that schools distribute it to parents.