The Cabinet should meet tomorrow to give people certainty about the next round of COVID-19 restrictions, Labour leader Alan Kelly has said.
He said a five days wait for confirmation is a long time for businesses and people making their plans for the festive period.
Restrictions on inter-county travel and household visits are being eased today for Christmas - but NPHET has warned the Government it shouldn't wait until January 6th to reimpose stricter measures.
December 28th has also been recommended as the date to close restaurants and pubs that serve food.
The Taoiseach has indicated the Government is likely to accept NPHET's recommendations when Cabinet meets next Tuesday.
However, Deputy Kelly told The Hard Shoulder a decision should be made sooner than Tuesday.
He said: "I think the Government has really misjudged the timing of this. They need to tell people now, or tomorrow morning - they need to have a Cabinet meeting.
"There are trains and buses tonight which have way more people on them... people have planned out until January 6th."
The recommendation of new restrictions comes amid rising COVID-19 case numbers and incidence rate - and Deputy Kelly said even the Tánaiste has acknowledged that situation is unlikely to change over the coming days.
He said: "Just give the people certainty, and we'll plan and deal with it.
"Just make the decisions and tell people, for the love of God. It's not fair.
"It's not just five days [wait] - it's five days around Christmas. This is a special time, and people need to plan."
The Labour leader suggested there will also be some people who might need leeway if new restrictions are imposed before New Year's Eve.
He said: "A lot of healthcare workers need to work their rosters through Christmas - they swap to allow people with young kids to be around their kids at Christmas, and then they take the time at New Year's.
"They're not now going to be able to travel... to meet their family members, because they're going to get caught in the December 28th lockdown."
He said people working in the likes of restaurants and hotels also deserve certainty about what's going to happen.
