The Cabinet is to meet later to consider level Four restrictions for the border counties.

It is understand the proposal is likely to see Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan moved to Level Four, while schools remain open.

Shops there will close and home visits will be banned.

the meeting is scheduled for late afternoon and it will be after 6pm before any decision is announced.

Tee situation in Louth and Leitrim will also be discussed; however, both counties are likely to remain on Level Three due to their lower coronavirus rates.

It comes after Northern Ireland announced a four-week ‘circuit-breaker’ lockdown in a bid to tackle spiralling coronavirus rates there.

Pubs and restaurants there will only be permitted to offer takeaway and delivery services and the mid-term school holidays have been extended to two weeks.

No more than 10 people from two households will be allowed in any home and overnight visits will be banned.

Earlier Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said a decision on increasing coronavirus restrictions in the border counties would be made some time today.

Three of the counties along the border – Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan – are reporting the highest coronavirus rates in the Republic.

On The Pat Kenny Show earlier Mr Varadkar said a decision on the border counties will be made later.

“I haven’t heard yet what the announcement is from Stormont,” he said.

“Once we find out for sure what the Northern Ireland Executive has decided, Government will then respond to that and we will see whether we need to take similar measures or what actions we need to take in relation to the border counties.

“We do out best to align and cooperate with Northern Ireland as best we can but, as you know, the Northern Ireland Executive has not favoured an All-Island approach or a 32-county approach but we do our best to coordinate and cooperate as much as we possibly can.

“As your listeners will know, the incidence of the virus in Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan in particular is very, very high.

“We will have to make a decision probably sometime today as to whether we need to respond with increased measures in the border counties as well.”

Reporting by Sean Defoe