Ireland could face harsh new coronavirus restrictions within days after the country’s public-health advisory team recommended the country go back into an almost total lockdown. Pubs and restaurants would only be allowed to offer takeout and nonessential retail outlets would close if the country, which is split between Level Two and Level Three of a five-level restriction system, moves to Level Five. All sports would be canceled, social visits would be banned, and people would be legally obliged to remain within 5 kilometers of their homes. Only six people would be permitted to attend a funeral and only 10 people allowed at a wedding. The recommendation leaked Sunday night, catching officials and the public by surprise, as on Thursday last week, the public-health team said there was no need for the entire country to move to Level Three, despite a sharp uptick in cases. In the past month, the number of new cases over 14 days has more than tripled from 31 per 100,000 people nationally to 108.9 per 100,000. Over the summer, new daily cases were driven down to single figures. The cabinet will meet Monday to discuss whether to implement the recommendation. While many politicians and medical experts support the proposed measures, Jim O’Callaghan, a representative for Dublin Bay South, told a national radio station people were deluded if they thought that locking down the country again “will get rid of coronavirus like St. Patrick got rid of the snakes.”