Border counties may be moved to level 4 restrictions this week if Northern Ireland opts for a circuit break lockdown.
The Chief Medical Officer in the North has recommended a six-week lockdown to limit the increasing spread of COVID after almost 4,000 cases were confirmed across the island over the weekend.
877 new cases of coronavirus have been recorded in the north in the last 24 hours while there have been an additional three Covid related deaths.
Government sources here say that could mean a level 4 recommendation for counties like Cavan, Monaghan, and Donegal, which have some of the highest rates of infection in the country.
Cavan and Monaghan have the second and third highest incidence rates of Covid-19 in the country.
Infectious diseases expert, Professor Paddy Mallon, believes this is linked to the rise of Covid cases in Northern Ireland:
