The head of the Health Service Executive (HSE) has said any guidance on social distancing will only come from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET)
However Paul Reid acknowledged that reducing social distancing limits would "significantly" increase hospital capacity.
The two metre rule to stop the spread of COVID-19 is still in place by Government, with the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar saying there is no change.
The issue is expected to be raised between ministers and the Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan next week.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) believes one metre is enough while the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) still advises people to keep to two metres.
Mr Reid says they will follow the Government's advice.
"From our perspective, the NPHET guidance and Government guidance at the minute is the two metre and that's what we are planning in terms of framework for new services to work through.
"Obviously that does have significant implications for us in terms of emergency departments, outpatients, waiting rooms, etc.
"So two metres will reduce the volume that we could have attending at a particular time.
"But we have to work off what the current guidance is - the current guidance is two metres.
"There's no doubt [that] one metre would certainly give us significant extra capacity... but we'll be guided by what the current guidance is from Government through NPHET".
Earlier, infectious diseases expert Professor Sam McConkey said any change to social distancing could see a delay in opening up areas of the economy.
"Certainly getting physically closer to each other certainly would allow restaurants and bars and so on to function better, and we'd all probably have a better time.
"That would inevitably lead to more transmission of COVID-19... the way droplets and things work often it's not just a simple linear relationship.
"When you're one metre rather than two [apart], it could be up to four-times more transmission that takes place when you're closer."
"That is one political choice... that we could make as a nation and say 'yes, we're going to get one metre from each other'.
"But then that would possibly mean that things like getting schools back or getting the airports open and tourists coming again might wait longer."
