Strong economic recovery in 2021 less certain - Irish Deputy PM

A very strong Irish economic recovery from its COVID-19 lockdown looks less certain next year, Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Monday, days after the government reimposed local restrictions for the first time.

"I think to be frank the economic impact is going to be a lot worse than you or I may have thought back in March or April or when the government was formed (in June)," Varadkar, the country's business minister who was prime minister until June, told the Newstalk radio station in an interview.

"Back in March or April I would have said this is going to be a three-month phenomenon, a single quarter severe hit to the economy and that we would be in a very strong recovery by next year. That now looks less certain."