NPHET has recommended closing restaurants and pubs that serve food from December 28th.
The county travel ban and tighter restrictions on household visits are also expected to be reintroduced shortly after Christmas.
Those restrictions have been lifted today for the festive period - but NPHET has warned the government it can't wait until January 6th to bring them back.
Restaurants, meanwhile, have been open for indoor dining for the last two weeks, but may soon find themselves restricted to takeaway and delivery services again.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin says the Cabinet will make a final decision next Tuesday.
He said: "NPHET are recommending the 28th, in terms of the restrictions on hospitality.
"The Government will decide on that, but I think the key point was to do it before New Year's Eve."
He noted that experiences from elsewhere shows major events can lead to further spread of the virus.
Earlier, Mr Martin told Newstalk Breakfast that NPHET may have looked to other countries when considering their recommendations - such as in the US and Canada, where there was a surge of cases following Thanksgiving.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan, meanwhile, has warned "we can't afford" to do Christmas and New Year's in the normal way this year.
484 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed yesterday - and Dr Holohan said he's "expecting an even bigger number today".
