The Chief Executive of the HSE has appealed to people to make personal judgments about what is possible, sensible and safe to do over the coming weeks.
Paul Reid said the health service was heading into the Christmas and New Year period in a much stronger position than it would have in the past due to the investment and support in place to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, he said the HSE wanted to avoid a high number of cases with a high number of contacts all coming together at a time of the year where there is normally peak demand for health services. "There is high demand in a normal year for non-Covid services but our challenge this year is doubled.