The Government is expected to announce details this evening of restrictions on travel from southern African countries.
Ministers have been co-ordinating to protect the country from a potential new Covid variant of concern.
This new Covid variant B.1.1.529 was identified just three days ago in South Africa and may be significantly more transmissable than even the Delta variant.
It's caused global alarm even on a small sample size - with work underway to establish if it may be vaccine resistant.
The UK was the first to jump last night to introduce a travel ban on a number of south African countries.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen also recommending the EU tighten its borders.
Ireland is expected to announce travel restrictions this evening, according to the Tánaiste.
However it may have spread already, with Belgium's Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke confirmed a case of the new variant there, in a woman who had traveled from Egypt through Turkey.
