Leo Varadkar has warned of "multiple waves" of coronavirus but said it's important the country avoids a second lockdown.
The Tanaiste said Ireland is coping well with the second wave that his hit the nation but that we need to keep morbidity down and keep the country open.
The Fine Gael leader added the pandemic is still "raging" but that there "is a level where we can live with the virus".
Speaking at the Dublin Economic Workshop, the Tanaiste said: "This is a virus that isn't going away, the pandemic is still raging.
"Europe is seeing a second wave at the moment, one that is different from the first but a second wave nonetheless.
"We don't if it's going to turn out as bad as the first in terms of mortality, morbidity, that remains to be seen or whether it will be much more moderate than the wave we saw in the Spring.
"I think it is very possible we will see multiple waves of the virus.
"We've to make sure our second wave of cases doesn't turn into a second wave of deaths, second wave of morbidity and to avoid if possible a second lockdown."
The Tanaiste also said that he is "confident" the world will soon have a vaccine although he doesn't expect it to be rolled out until the first half of 2021.
Acting Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ronan Glynn, earlier this evening urged Dubliners to limit their social contacts this weekend after it emerged that 121 of the 211 new cases of the virus are in Dublin.
He said: “While we are seeing a continued increase in cases, particularly in Dublin, this is at least partly due to the willingness of people to heed our core messages around knowing the symptoms and coming forward promptly for testing.
"This together with all of the other key behaviours will help to break the chains of transmission in our communities.
“This weekend, please limit your social contacts, especially visitors to your home. Avoid crowds, keep your distance from others and wear a face covering where appropriate.”
