The Government is secretly drawing up contingency plans to go to a national lockdown in three weeks' time, it is understood.
Some Ministers are urging we move to Level 5 on October 26 when the country's school kids have their week-long Halloween half term break.
But Health Minister Stephen Donnelly was opposed to moving to Level 5 at the weekend, and is now "waiting to see" what happens, and only wants to move forward to such a measure "as a last resort."
The Cabinet could also shut the schools for an extra two weeks to give the country a 3-week total lockdown, to get the Covid 19 virus back under control.
The public has been split down the middle since Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, and Eamon Ryan of the Greens rejected NPHET's advice to go to a total shutdown last Sunday night.
It was the first time an Irish Government went against the public health advice since the pandemic broke out last March.
A senior political source said: "There is absolute panic in the Government. The Covid virus is on the march and they are out on a limb.
"The numbers are getting worse by the day. The Taoiseach wants to stick with his five stage plan and to get people used to the idea of another lockdown.
"Minister Donnelly sees the school holidays as the ideal time to go for it.
"Secondary school teachers did not want to be teaching in class during a full scale lockdown.
"You are looking at putting 400,000 people out of work, but hopefully they can live with it.
"The stage five lockdown will last 3 to four weeks. Ministers want everything opened up and back to normal by the first week in December.
"If we can get the virus numbers down, and keep people safe, then everyone can enjoy Christmas."
The insider added: "Until there is a vaccine this is how it is going to be: lockdown, re-emerge, resurgence.
"We are all going to have to live with it."
After almost three weeks Stage 3 does not seem to be working in Dublin for instance where there was 218 cases on Wednesday.
