Extra bank holiday on March 18 and €1,000 bonus for frontline health workers 

Ambulance workers, private nursing home staff, hospice staff, porters, cleaners and anyone who worked around Covid patients during the pandemic is eligible to receive the payment

Further details on the plans are expected to be outlined later this afternoon.

March 18 of this year is to be designated a bank holiday, under a new proposal agreed by Government.

The holiday will be a once-off national commemorative event, dedicated to healthcare workers and those who have lost their lives during the pandemic.