Ireland's reopening could be postposed by three weeks to slow down the spread of the dreaded Delta variant.
The news would come as a hammer blow for bars and restaurants who have not yet reopened - with publicans urging the Government to make up their minds.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin is reportedly worried that Ireland could be facing 2,000 cases of the Covid-19 strain by the end of July should the reopening go ahead as planned.
It is also understood that Mr Martin and Tanaiste Leo Varadkar - the heads of the two largest parties in Government - disagree on delaying the lockdown exit.
Mr Martin is reportedly considering slowing down the reopening until July 26, so that those over 60 who have received the AstraZeneca jab already will be fully vaccinated.
Mr Varadkar is believed to be against the delay over fears of a second "lost summer".
Major uncertainty surrounding when many businesses will be allowed reopen is also a primary concern.
According to the Sunday Independent, Mr Martin fears that should we see a spike in cases in July, it could lead to a further tightening of restrictions in August.
However, a final decision will not be made until the Government receives the latest data from NPHET next week.
A source told the paper: "At the end, the Government will obviously be heavily influenced by what Nphet reports, but it’s back to last October again, we need Nphet to tell us when we can reopen if we have to postpone the reopening from July 5."
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