Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said the strategy of a "circuit breaker" lockdown to address rising cases of Covid-19 is experimental and he is not convinced any such move would be a temporary move.
Speaking to RTÉ News, Mr Martin said he was not sure it was possible to shut everything down for two weeks and "come back as normal".
He said there was a chance and an opportunity for Level 3 restrictions to have an impact, but it depended on our behaviour. Mr Martin also said that keeping schools open was a priority for the Government.
Writing in Today's Sunday Independent, Tánaiste Leo Varadar said a circuit break "may well be needed", but outlined a series of questions around how it would be implemented and what the objective would be.