The National Public Health Emergency Team will meet the Coalition party leaders today, to discuss the new Omicron variant.
NPHET says regulations are being drawn up to give effect to the new travel and home quarantine policies after it met over the weekend.
The World Health Organisation says it's not yet clear whether infection with Omicron causes more severe disease compared to other variants, including Delta.
Infectious Disease Specialist at the RCSI Professor Sam McConkey is hopeful people won't get as sick with Omicron.
"It does seem to be spreading quite a lot.
"A lot of cases around Johannesburg and other parts of South Africa are this new Omicron variant, so it seems to have spread widely there.
"The South African population is young, and they don't seem to be getting very sick from it.
"The optimist in me hopes that this isn't a more pathogenic virus - perhaps it's even a less pathogenic virus."
