Cabinet is expected to meet next week amid a surge in Covid cases in Ireland driven by the Omicron variant.
Tens of thousands of new infections are being confirmed each day, as we see the highest daily case counts since the pandemic began.
Numbers reached a record high yesterday as Dr Tony Holohan warned that everyone should consider themselves "potentially infectious".
There were 16,428 new Covid cases confirmed on Wednesday, the highest ever number recorded in one day since the beginning of the pandemic.
However, an expert in infectious diseases said that due to the limited availability of PCR tests, the actual number of positive cases could be much higher.
And it is now understood that Cabinet is looking at holding a crunch meeting to discuss the ongoing surge next Wednesday, however currently schools are expected to open as normal, RTE reports.
Changes to self-isolation periods are also understood to be on the table, but as of yet no further restrictions have been considered.
It comes after Chief Medical Officer Dr Holohan issued a new statement last night warning that the Omicron variant is "accelerating rapidly" and said everyone in the country should "consider themselves potentially infectious".
Dr Holohan said: “All of the latest epidemiological indicators are a cause of concern. In recent days, we have seen a rise in new admissions to hospital of Covid-19 patients, at levels not seen since January 2021. On two consecutive days this week, over 100 patients with Covid-19 were either admitted to hospital or received a “detected” test result while in hospital.
“We are also reporting our highest ever number of confirmed cases in Ireland.
"The Omicron variant is accelerating rapidly in the community and given the very high levels of transmission of this new variant nationwide, every individual should consider themselves potentially infectious, and strictly adhere to the public health measures by washing hands regularly, keeping a safe distance from others, avoiding crowded places and reducing social contacts as much as possible."
He also described shopping without physical distancing as a "high-risk activity" and said it should be avoided unless essential.
Meanwhile, an Infectious Diseases Consultant at St James's Hospital in Dublin estimated that despite Covid cases reaching record numbers, the actual figure of positive cases could be much higher.
Dr Cliona Ni Cheallaigh said that this was due to the limited number of PCR tests available at the moment as people across Ireland experience difficulty booking a slot.
"The testing system is really pretty maxed out at the moment and it's quite difficult for people to get appointments to have PCR testing," she told RTE’s Morning Ireland.
"So I would suspect that the true number of cases is actually much higher than 16,000, which is in itself is a pretty staggering number."
She also echoed the CMO's comments on 'considering yourself infectious' before you have a confirmed PCR result, saying: "With levels so high in the community, I think it's sensible to say that if you have symptoms that feel like Covid or if you have a positive rapid antigen test, you definitely should assume that you have Covid and act as if you do."
