Pubs and restaurants may not be able to serve food in an indoor setting in Dublin if new restrictions are implemented.
Dublin is likely to face harsher restrictions this week after NPHET formally recommended that the county is moved to level 3 of the 'Living with Covid' plan as cases surge
And now the government will consider advice from NPHET that pubs and restaurants should not be allowed to serve food indoors in the capital.
However it is understood that Cabinet will stand firm and reject the advice issued by health chiefs.
The advice would mean that restaurants, cafes and bars would only be allowed to serve take away service or customers in an outdoor seating area.
Wet pubs in Dublin were dealt a further blow this week when it was announced they would not be allowed to open their doors like the rest of the country due to the rising cases in the capital.
The new NPHET oversight group of mainly senior civil servants met on Thursday to consider the impact of the advice on the economy and the rest of society - as well as on public health.
The next step will see the special Cabinet Covid sub-committee meet Friday morning.
An announcement is likely to be made on Friday in the late afternoon or evening as to what happens.
Travel to and from the county is also set to be limited to essential workers and for education reasons.
The other main extra restrictions to be considered by the Government today include the closure of college lecture halls, with all classes conducted online instead, and an accompanying ban on students travelling to their third level institutions.
