Fewer than a dozen countries are expected to make the so called 'green' list of places that are safe to travel to. The list is expected to be published following a meeting of Cabinet tonight, but sources say a substantial discussion will be needed before an agreement can be reached.
The health advice remains against all non-essential foreign travel, regardless of whether a destination is on the list or not.
But there is a view in Cabinet that the advice should be changed for countries on the list. One view is that the current advice to people to restrict their movements for two weeks after arriving in Ireland should be removed for those countries on the 'green' list.