The Northern Ireland Executive will meet on Thursday afternoon to discuss a range of restriction proposals for after Christmas.
As infection rates continue to be high each day, at around 500, Health Minister Robin Swann is proposing a series of measures for discussion at 3pm.
Minister Swann has tabled measures for a sweeping six-week coronavirus lockdown into January.
Measures include school learning environments, retail and hospitality closures and a focus on New Year's Eve, PA Media reports.
What are the three measures being discussed?
- Reduction in face-to-face school learning post-Christmas has been urged as Stormont ministers consider proposals for a six-week hard lockdown;
- Widespread closures across retail, hospitality and leisure have been urged;
- The minister also wants the Executive to take firm steps to clamp down on New Year's Eve house parties.
On Thursday, a Belfast GP echoed the calls for a six week lockdown to take pressure off hospitals and to aid the vaccine roll out programme.
Dr Alan Stout, the chairman of Northern Ireland's GP committee says a full lockdown of a minimum four-week period should be in place.
"Two week lockdowns are not effective"
"What I think we now know for definite is that a short term, partial circuit breaker doesn't work," Dr Stout told Belfast Live Editor Ryan Smith.
"It needs to be definitive and we really need to drive down the level of infection. The problem is, we are operating from far too high a level of infection. Over the two weeks it was hard to tell whether we were in a lockdown or not because so many places were open and so many people were still operating.
"Four weeks minimum and probably six weeks [of lockdown] is preferable because that's where you really will get on top of it. It has to be full and it has to be sustained and everybody has to be committed to it."
Department's dashboard reports 12 further deaths
On Thursday, the Department of Health reported a further 12 deaths linked to coronavirus.
Dashboard data shows 10 deaths occurred over the last 24 hours, and two outside of this reporting period.
A daily rise in cases of the virus by 656 was also recorded.
The NI Executive meeting where the proposals will be considered has been put back to 3pm on Thursday afternoon.
