A Cork GP is warning that we need to "think carefully" as a society about how we approach Christmas this year.
Dr Nuala O'Connor, the Irish College of General Practitioners' lead advisor on COVID-19, said the focus needs to be on how we can have a safe Christmas during the pandemic.
It comes as a member of the National Public Health Emergency Team said that strict limits on Christmas get-togethers are needed to prevent a third wave of the virus.
Professor Philip Nolan told the Business Post that if Level 5 restrictions are eased in December there will be a surge of COVID-19 cases in the spring.
He said we could see 300 cases per day in the new year if we go back to the level of social contact we had in August and September.
There were five further deaths and 335 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in the Republic yesterday.
Dr Nuala O'Connor told Newstalk Breakfast with Susan Keogh that Christmas will have to be different this year:
She said: "I think we've all got to think carefully as a society how we're going to manage Christmas this year.
"Christmas is really important in Ireland.
"What we have to do is try and focus on how we can have Christmas but in a safer manner.
"We know now how to get these virus numbers down and how to keep them down and it's really about narrowing the amount of people we meet on a regular basis
"We also need to focus on how we can meet people safely.
"Yes, Christmas will be a bit different because if we try to have it the normal way, if there's too much getting together of people in closed, crowded, poorly ventilated indoor spaces, that's exactly where this virus loves to spread.
"We have to start thinking positively and be creative and inventive on how we can get together safely and have that connection with friends and family."
A member of the public wearing a mask as she walks past a Christmas window display outside Guiney's on Talbot Street in Dublin City centre. Photograph: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie'Anticipatory behaviour'
Dr O'Connor said that people had begun to change their behaviour in anticipation of the introduction of Level 5 restrictions and this helped to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases.
She said: "It's clear that when Level 3 was introduced, people started to change their behaviour, particularly in the two weeks before Level 5 came in.
"If you look back and you think about it, one of the main reasons Level 3 wasn't working was because not enough people were complying with Level 3.
"We can see that when you look at the number of cases and number of close contacts people had.
"People were meeting too many people and meeting with too many households."
Dr O'Connor added: "I think that's the key moving forward, the levels would work.
"What's happened in Level 5 is there's been a bit more enforcement of it.
"I think as a society we need to realise that to be able to live with this virus until such time as we get an effective vaccine, we all have to take on board that we need to change the way we behave.
"It doesn't mean we have to stop living our lives, but we have to get a smaller social bubble that we're going to interact with.
"We can get back to having restaurants open and we can get back to going to gyms, we just have to focus on how we can do all these things in a safer way."
Flu vaccine
Dr O'Connor added that we do not have enough supplies of the adult flu vaccine in the country as there is a worldwide shortage.
She said medical practitioners have been focussed on ensuring that those who need it most get the vaccine, such as vulnerable or older groups and healthcare workers.
She added that this is the first year that a children's flu vaccine has been available in Ireland but that there has not been a big uptake so far.
Dr O'Connor said millions of doses of the vaccines have been given worldwide and encouraged parents to consider the jab for their kids.
