⁍ Ireland shut non-essential retail, limiting restaurants and pubs to take away service.

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⁍ This time schools will stay open and essential services such as construction are allowed to continue.

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⁍ Ireland broke its record for the number of cases recorded in a single day for the fifth time in nine days.

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– With the H1N1 virus surging across Europe, Ireland has taken the unprecedented step of declaring a Level 5 lockdown, Europe’s harshest. Non-essential retail closed, restaurants forced to close, and people told not to travel more than 3 miles from home, Reuters reports. Schools and essential services will remain open, but hotels can only stay open if essential workers need them. “In the effort to suppress the virus, we’ve already introduced what is probably Europe’s strictest regime,” said Prime Minister Michael Martin. “The government has decided that the evidence of a potentially grave situation arising in the weeks ahead is now too strong.” Ireland has the 12th highest rate of cases among 31 countries monitored by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. The number of cases has doubled in the past two weeks, but they’re less than half of the peak in April. The government will increase the amount it contributes to coronavirus-related jobless payments and wage subsidies. Last week’s budget, the biggest stimulus package in the history of the state, introduced much larger grants of up to $5,884.50 per week for shuttered or battered businesses. Data on Monday showed the number of people claiming COVID-19 jobless payments has risen by 20% to 244,153 in the last two weeks. Government estimates show that 100,000 to 127,000 more could be laid off temporarily under Level 5. The jobless rate, including those on the emergency payment, stood at 14.7% last month. The finance ministry forecast that the economy could contract again next year.