A COVID-19 advisor to the Irish College of General Practitioners says the numbers presenting to GPs with the virus is not slowing enough.
Dr Mary Favier has warned that if people's behavior does not change we could still be here in May.
She told Newstalk Breakfast she believes more people are moving around than this time last year, which is contributing to the rise in numbers.
"I think the vast majority are following the regulations - most people are really, really concerned, they're really anxious".
But she said: "I think we're not doing enough and there's still too much movement.
"When I go to work this morning after this interview, I'll notice the traffic on the road is still heavier and faster and more of it than there was in March of last year.
"Something is happening this year that's different to [last] March, and it's because more people are going to work, more people are seeing that there's some wriggle room.
"And we need to stop that: we need two to three weeks of absolutely staying at home.
"And until we do that, our numbers will decline very, very slowly".
She also said that "whole families are now getting COVID", owing to the more infectious variant from the UK.
And she added that hospitals need to be protected.
"People are very concerned about our hospitals - our hospitals are under significant pressure.
"We're seeing patients who don't want to attend and we have to try and really encourage them, we have to make sure that non-COVID illness is still looked after... And our hospitals need to be protected.
"Otherwise we're going to be in this situation until March, April, May".
'Please stay at home'
She said the numbers reporting symptoms dropped around the New Year, but have gone up again.
"GPs are continuing to see a lot of COVID-related cases - both people presenting appropriately for testing, and then those unfortunately getting complications from the illness.
"Things eased a little bit a week ago or so, we thought we were making progress, but towards the end of last week... there was still a considerable number of people being symptomatic and needing testing".
She said numbers dropped "quite considerably" in the week after the New Year, but this is generally the quietest week of the year.
"Our concern is that last week people returned to work, and in some fashion their activities [sic] and that the numbers are slowing, but not slowing enough".
She appealed to people not to do anything, unless it is absolutely necessary.
"We'd be asking people really to not do anything today that you don't have to do, please stay at home, do not go to work unless you have to - and for employers to follow that as well".
