Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will address the nation on Friday with a plan to slowly reopen Ireland.
No major changes are expected when the Fine Gael leader confirms the new measures, with the current lockdown set to end on May 5.
The National Public Health Emergency Team is meeting on Friday morning to decide the next steps in Ireland's battle with the killer virus.
NPHET will then make a recommendation to Cabinet when it meets this afternoon, with the Government expected to sign off on their advice.
The Taoiseach said he will then announce a "road map to reopen Ireland".
He also issued a stark warning that restrictions "may have to be reintroduced if it looks like the virus is going to surge back.”
While no exact time for the announcement has been confirmed, the Taoiseach is expected to brief the nation live on television sometime after 7pm.
The NPHET is meeting this morning and a Cabinet meeting to sign off on the plans will be held at 3pm which is likely to take a couple of hours.
Varadkar is then expected to announce all the measures in the evening before he heads to take part in The Late Late Show.
Further confirmation of an exact time is expected later this afternoon.
You can follow all the latest updates on Leo Varadkar's historic announcement right here on our live blog.
Among the measures that may be eased is the "cocooning" advice for the over-70s.
Early stages of the Government's plan could see younger people asked to stay at home while the elderly are allowed out for a walk, the Irish Times reports.
The newspaper also claims that businesses and manufacturing hubs could reopen in the early phases of the plan if they are able to adhere to social distancing measures.
Minister for Health Simon Harris said this morning: “National Public Health Emergency Team will meet shortly to consider its view on Covid 19.
"People have made so many sacrifices to save lives and keep their families and communities safe. It is a really tough time for all but we must continue to do all we can to keep each other safe.
"We will have a plan later on on how to gradually reopen our country.
"The pace at which we implement the plan is crucial if we are to succeed. We can only act when safe to do so.
"Anything else would result in more lost lives, many more sick people and a plan which could not succeed.”
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