The Health Minister says Ireland's restrictions will only ease next month if significant progress is made over the next three weeks.
The lockdown remains in place until May 5th, however Simon Harris says normal life won't resume next month.
"This virus is going to be with us for a long time, we're going to have to work out a way of living alongside it, and trying to adjust our lives and physical distancing - these things are going to be with us for the foreseeable future, I've told you the truth about this from the start - we're not going back to normal life next month.
"But the moire progress we can make over the next three weeks the more options we have as a country.
"These three weeks matter. I don't want anyone banking the progress, I don't want anyone thinking 'ah shur it's grand, we're on the right trajectory'.
"No. This disease is not where it needs to be."
