Leo Varadkar says the Government wants Ireland to be able to stay at level three restrictions for 'as long as we can' - and maybe until a coronavirus vaccine starts rolling out.
The Tánaiste says this year won't be a normal Christmas, but it won't be a lockdown Christmas either.
A reopening of the country is due to start tomorrow, with the country returning to level three 'with some modifications'.
Non-essential retail, hairdressers, barbers, churches, gyms, leisure centres, cinemas, museums and more allowed open from tomorrow after the level five lockdown.
Meanwhile, restaurants and gastropubs will be able to reopen for indoor dining from Friday.
The measures will be in place until 18th December, when there'll be an easing of rules around household visits and inter-county travel for the Christmas period.
The Government's taskforce on vaccination is meeting again today, as planning continues for the rollout of any approved COVID-19 vaccine.
Speaking on Lunchtime Live, Leo Varadkar said it's a tribute to the work of the Irish people that the country is able to open up again.
He said: "Most countries in Europe aren't [reopening] - they're shutting down or staying closed.
"The best thing for me in some ways is 100-150,000 people are going to go back to work over the next few weeks. People will be able to have some sort of normal Christmas - see friends and family; go out for dinner; Christmas shopping... all those things are going to happen.
"It won't be a normal Christmas, but it won't be a lockdown Christmas either."
'Do stay safe'
The Tánaiste urged people to continue to stay safe and look after other people as the restrictions ease.
He said: "We do know as people mix more and congregate more, the likelihood is that the number of cases will start to increase again.
"We want to be able to stay in level three as long as we can... maybe even long enough to start deploying the vaccine. And a lot of that is going to depend on how we all act in the next couple of weeks."
Mr Varadkar was on the show to discuss the same-sex marriage referendum - one of Newstalk's 20 most influential moments of the last two decades.
Over the coming weeks, Newstalk hosts and guests are discussing these influential moments and how they've changed Ireland and the world.
Listen back to Lunchtime Live listeners remembering the same-sex marriage referendum:
