The Government is to examine whether takeaway drinks should be banned after scenes emerged of large crowds gathering in Dublin and Cork over the weekend, the Taoiseach has said.
Video and images on social media showed people congregating and drinking alcohol on the streets in Dublin and Cork, against public health advice.
Micheal Martin said he was "extremely concerned" by the scenes on the streets of people not adhering to Covid-19 measures, adding that it puts the progress being made in the fight against the virus into "jeopardy".
The Fianna Fail leader was meeting Justice Minister Helen McEntee to discuss the issue on Monday.
"I'm extremely concerned and very annoyed about it," Mr Martin told Red FM.
"I think it flies in the face of what's acceptable in terms of adherence to the guidelines and regulations, because we all have to work to try and get the incidence of the virus down."
The Taoiseach said Level 5 restrictions had been "working well" and Ireland was now "probably the best in Europe" in terms of its downward trajectory of the disease in recent weeks.
"What has been happening in the last week put all that at risk and in jeopardy," he said.
"That puts frontline workers in our hospitals under pressure, it puts our ICU beds under pressure.
"Widescale congregation of people on streets just facilitates the spreading of the virus, so we are going to have to review, in particular, the whole takeaway pint and alcohol phenomenon.
"We're going to review that and see what we can do."
Asked whether he was going to look at banning pubs from serving takeaway pints and other alcohol, he said it was something he would be looking at "very seriously".
"We are going to review it. We are certainly going to have a very serious look at it," he said.
"I will consult with the Justice Minister and I will be seeking reports from the Gardai."
Mr Martin also told the Cork radio station that he expected the first mass-rollout of a Covid-19 vaccine towards the middle of next year, but it depended on how the vaccine trials progress.
"When they sanction these vaccines as safe we'll roll them out as fast as we can, but it's a huge logistical exercise in itself," he said.
The Government has set up a national taskforce to co-ordinate the distribution of the potential vaccine.
"From early 2021 they will start to be rolled out but in terms of a significant number of the population I think realistically it seems to me that you're looking towards the middle of 2021," he said.
Asked whether that means the country will be going in and out of rolling lockdowns until then, Mr Martin replied: "No, not necessarily, that depends on our behaviour and how we manage the virus."
