Leo Varadkar has issued an update on schools closing and restriction upgrades as a top doc expert warns a month lockdown in Ireland is the only solution to stop the Covid rot.
The Tanaiste said that the Republic of Ireland needed to address the situation in Northern Ireland.
The north is set for a period of intensified coronavirus restrictions after executive ministers agreed to closures of schools, pubs and restaurants.
The PA news agency understands pubs and restaurants will close for four weeks, with the exception of takeaways, while schools will close for two, one of which will cover the half-term Halloween break.
When asked if the schools would close in the south mirroring Northern Ireland's plan, the Tanaiste added: "Our plan for living with Covid provides for schools to stay open.
"We will need to respond to what's happening in the north as best we can especially with the border counties."
"Primary schools aren't a major cause for transition, we know that.
"What's in our plan is that the schools will remain open, apart from the mid-term break, that is our intention."
Varadkar said that there is no plan for a meeting on Friday regarding a change in current restrictions but that they will continue to take NPHET's recommendations on board.
He said: "On Thursday, Professor Nolan will do his modelling and outline the R number.
"But there's no plan for a meeting on Friday to make a decision, the Taoiseach is in Brussels...we will continue to take NPHET's recommendations on board.
It came as a leading doctor issued a four-week lockdown warning as she claimed there is "very little time" left to make a big decision.
Dr Mary Favier, former President of the Irish College of General Practitioners, said there needs to be a "radical difference" in behaviour over the next couple of days and weeks.
She told Morning Ireland on RTE Radio One: "Not to preempt the decision from NPHET at Thursday's meeting, but GPs and the medical profession have been saying that more needs to be done.
"This virus inevitably gets worse, it doubles in size every two weeks, and has an inevitable knock on effect to our health service.
"We need to do something different, so that's either we do something different under the current restrictions, or we change the restrictions. And there's very little time now to decide that.
"Unless there is a radical difference in behaviour in the next couple of days and weeks we're going to be in a situation like the North."
And in terms of how long we might be placed under Level Four or Level Five restrictions, Dr Favier said we need to be able to ensure our health service can get through the winter.
She added: "I think we need three to four weeks.
"I think we are capable of doing it if we know there is an end of sight, if we know that means we can get to Christmas and through the winter with a robust health service.
"That means we can keep the schools open, we can keep the retail open and we can meet our families.
"But unfortunately now we have to put in the hard work, we have to sit down at our table this evening and say 'what did we do today that we can do differently tomorrow?'
"We need to say to employers that staff need to work from home if at all possible. It appears people are going to work when they should ideally be working from home.
"We ask people not to travel unless they absolutely have to, not to go to gym, all those kinds of sporting activities, don't do them unless you have to. It's the small activities that will make a big difference."
