The National Public Health Emergency Team has asked Cabinet to consider putting a stop to serving food indoors in Dublin's pubs and restaurants.
And RTE reports that senior sources have indicated that hte Government is vert likely to agree to NPHET's request given the sharp rise in COVID cases in Dublin over the past week in particular.
Today saw a further 240 cases confirmed in Ireland - with more than half in the Greater Dublin Area, and 119 in the county itself.
Infection rates in the capital are now running at more than 100 per 100,000 in many areas, compared with rates of just three in rural areas such as Sligo and nine in urban areas of Cork.
Should NPHET's recommendation to ban indoor dining be agreed by Cabinet, it would mean that the city and county's pubs and restaurants could only serve customers as long as they have outdoor areas.
If not, all they would be able to offer is a takeaway service - essentially putting Dublin's pubs back to where they were before lockdown measures were relaxed at the end of June.
The move is likely to come in for serious criticism from publicans and trade organisations.
The LVA - which represented some 600 pubs in Dublin - has already slammed the Government for making its members pay the price for its failures to manage the pandemic.
It also said that NPHET was "anti-pubs" after the decision was made not to reopen wet pubs next Monday as had been planned.
That rethink marked the fourth time pubs had thought they were going to be allowed to reopen since bars were closed just before Paddy's Day on March 15.
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