Transport Minister Eamon Ryan says we will 'have to wait and see' what happens on July 19th.
He was speaking after the return of indoor activities is being delayed by at least two weeks.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said earlier the country is in a race between the vaccine rollout and the Delta variant.
A number of indoor activities had been due to resume from next week, but those plans have been postponed.
Indoor dining is expected to open to fully vaccinated people or those who have recovered from COVID sometime after July 19th, with a system for managing it being worked out over the coming weeks.
Another aspect due to resume on July 19th is the resumption of international travel.
Minister Ryan told The Hard Shoulder: "We'll have to wait and see what happens on the 19th.
"It was only last night when NPHET presented this latest modelling information, and raised the sort of concerns that I'm sharing with you now.
"We said we're not making a decision just on the back of the immediate information, we do have to devise a plan now.
"We obviously listen, indeed, as we've done through this [to] the whole scientific advice and look to implement in a way that works from a broad range of perspectives."
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On the deadline of July 19th, he says: "We said we'll commit, we'll have to set out how we're going to do this by then - and I hope it can be done."
But he adds: "We will be introducing QR codes for international travel... so we will have that facility on the 19th of July".
On the timing of the decision to delay indoor dining, he says the possibility was floated "in the last week or two".
"But in truth really it was only last night that the modelling data from NPHET was presented.
"They themselves I suppose only brought it in in recent days.
"There was a change in the last 10 days - the numbers of the Delta variants in Ireland went from roughly estimated about 20% up to about 50%".
'We will get hospitality back'
Minister Ryan says the Government actually brought their meeting with NPHET forward to discuss this.
"We brought the meeting forward, NPHET were due to meet later this week.
"And because of that concern, valid concern from the hospitality industry, we did meet earlier in the week.
"It was meant to be Wednesday and Thursday, we brought it back to Monday/Tuesday.
"And it was really only last night that some of the modelling presented by NPHET raised real concern.
"We can still manage this and we will get our hospitality sector open - I'm convinced of that.
"As soon as we can, we will get them open and get them kept open".
But Mr Ryan says things are still moving.
"We are on the way out of this - we are on a path where we will manage, we will be able to get back into colleges in September.
"We will be able to get back into the office... and we will also open hospitality."
