Leaders of the power-sharing administration in Northern Ireland have signalled different approaches to the scheduled ending of tougher Covid-19 restrictions on 13 November.
It comes as the Department of Health reported eight more Covid-related deaths, taking the death toll to 716. There were also 685 new cases reported, from tests on 2,972 individuals.
There are 361 confirmed Covid-19 patients in hospital, with 48 of these being treated in intensive care units. The restrictions introduced earlier this month are due to be lifted more than two weeks before Level 5 measures are due to end in the Republic.
Based on relative population sizes, the rates of infection, deaths and hospitalisations are all much higher north of the border.