Dublin has been moved to level 3 of the Government's five-level COVID-19 plan for the next three weeks.

Announcing the further restrictions that will apply to the capital, the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, said that the threat of COVID-19 is increasing throughout Europe and "here in our capital, we are in a very dangerous place".

"Dublin could return to the worst days of this crisis, but this is not inevitable. We have to take action," he commented.

Mr Martin said he knows how exhausting and infuriating this has been for people, and that these latest restrictions "will make many people angry", but he insisted that they "will save lives".

From midnight on Friday, people living in Dublin are asked not to travel outside of the county, except for work, education or other essential reasons. Those outside of Dublin should only travel to the capital for the same reasons.

People will only be allowed to have visitors from one other household at any one time and no social or family gatherings should take place in any other settings outside the family home or garden.

It had already been confirmed that wet pubs would not open on September 21, like the rest of the country. However, as part of level 3, indoor dining in restaurants and pubs that serve food will be prohibited. These businesses can only operate if they have an outdoor area (with no more than 15 people in attendance) or can serve takeaway.

Mr Martin acknowledged that the closure of indoor dining has been criticised, however, he said that the fact is that while the virus has been spreading in homes, the initial infection has come from outside of homes.

"This is not a reflection on these business owners who have done everything that has been asked of them," he insisted.

Meanwhile, all visits to nursing homes have been suspended, expect in compassionate cases. And the number of people attending weddings and funerals in Dublin will reduce from 50 to 25, although this rule will not come into effect until Monday.

Religious services will go online and all museums, galleries and other cultural attractions will close.

Sports training can only take place outdoors in pods of up to 15 and should be non-contact. There should be no training indoors, except for individual training, and no exercise or dance classes. No matches can take place except for professional/inter-county/club championship matches.

"Everything we do is based on the evidence of our medical experts. We are a resilient people and this too will pass," Mr Martin added.

For more information all the five-level plan, including the new restrictions that apply to Dublin under level 3, click here.