Dublin could face a further slip into a form of 'local lockdown' within days as coronavirus cases continue to surge.
Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said there is "a very real and strong possibility" that more restrictions could come into force in the capital.
New public health measures for Dublin came into effect at midnight, however the Minister for Finance said that guidance could change again by the end of the week.
The capital, like the rest of the country, is currently at level two of the new 'Living with Covid' roadmap.
But asked if Dublin could move to level three in the coming days, Mr Donohoe told RTE Morning Ireland: "There's a strong possibility that could happen.
"Our medical and public health experts will supply guidance to Government on this issue, that would then be considered by the Government, it will be consistent with the framework that we published and then we'll make a recommendation and a decision on this to the people of Dublin.
"I think it is fair to say it is a very real possibility that guidance could change further for Dublin but the reason why we have issued this additional guidance for Dublin, on top of the level two guidance, is to see what can be done to continue to keep those who live and those who work in Dublin as safe as possible."
He also said he would advise people against travelling outside of Dublin to attend a wedding.
"The reason why I would do that is, I absolutely understand how important and life changing and how so important a good wedding and a nice wedding day is, I absolutely appreciate that," he continued.
"But a wedding ceremony is meant to be about sharing hope for a better future, getting family together to celebrate a wonderful day, and I'd ask all to consider how we would feel about a wedding if we then found out in a number of days or weeks time, that the wedding turned into a place in which a disease was spread."
Meanwhile yesterday Tanaiste Leo Varadkar made a special appeal to the people of Dublin, saying they must follow the “Four Ws” to limit the spread of Covid-19.
- Don’t Welcome more than one other household into your home
- Wash your hands
Watch your distance - maintain 2m distance at all times
Wear a face mask or face covering
Any further restrictions will be assessed based on a number of factors, including the amount of confirmed coronavirus cases per 100,000 population over the last 14 days.
By this key measure, the capital is by far the hardest hit area in the country.
The latest statistics from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre show Dublin has an incidence of 95.1.
The next highest county is Louth, on 66.7, followed by Leitrim on 65.5.
Limerick, on 63.1, and Kildare, on 61.6, are also areas with some cause for concern.
