The Taoiseach has said the Government "won't be afraid" to introduce restrictions for Dublin, and that he'll do "what's necessary" to combat the recent Covid-19 spike.
Micheal Martin explained that they had learned from previous measures introduced in Kildare, Laois and Offaly, and that they will discuss the latest advice from NPHET on Tuesday.
He was speaking after Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn issued a direct appeal to those living in the capital.
Dr Glynn urged people in Dublin to limit their social contacts, as the average number of cases for the capital rose to an average 104 per day.
As it stands, cases in Dublin are rising at 4% per day, and would double over the next two weeks if nothing changes.
And speaking this morning, the Taoiseach said the Government would not be afraid to act if necessary.
He said: “We learned from what we did (in Kildare, Laois and Offaly)
"We’ll get advice from NPHET on Tuesday and we’ll have to weigh their advice... The most important thing about Dublin is how to get to grips with the virus to lower the number of cases and to put pressure on the virus.
"We won’t be afraid to implement measures specifically in Dublin, if that’s the way forward.
"We did that in Kildare, Offaly and Laois. I know that some counties have low number of cases, and I understand that argument, that there are differences and so the same restrictions shouldn’t apply.
“The new plan has flexibility from that side – we can assess the situation from county to county. The very highest level of restrictions is to implement measures on a national basis.”
He reiterated Dr Glynn's words that we all have to adhere to the public health guidelines, and added that the Government understands the mental health impact of measures.
He told Máirín Ní Ghadhra on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta's 'An tSeachtain': “We know from the research that the situation with the virus has had a terrible impact on physical and mental health, and we need to focus on that... so we’re considering people’s lifestyles, and we’re looking at that in terms of sport and culture, we have to make exceptions and tailored plans for those sectors in this country.”
Mr Martin was speaking after gardai were given special powers to close pubs and restaurants found in breach of public health regulations.
The legislation came into place after President Michael D Higgins signed the "Criminal Justice Enforcement Powers Covid-19 Bill" into law.
The news comes as "wet pubs" look set to reopen on September 21.
While this date has not yet been fully confirmed, an announcement is expected following the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
The Cabinet will also rubber stamp the final details of its Covid-19 medium-term plan, which is to be published sometime over the next week.
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