The government will decide this morning whether to raise the alert level in Dublin over other parts of the state under Dublin’s new Medium Living with Covid-19 five-year plan as serious concerns remain about the level of infection in the capital.

Despite the twenty-fold increase in the number of cases in a month in the capital, the question is whether to keep Level 2, the best of the five level plans, at the second level or raise it to Level 3.

However, if it is kept at level 2, additional restrictions in Dublin, with a population of 1.4 million, will be subject to additional restrictions, including delays in the re-opening of wet pubs scheduled from September 21, and a new measure that only members can say will allow one home to visit another. It is also understood that all visits to residential care and nursing homes are being discontinued.

However, another situation discussed by the senior ministers last night was the appointment of Dublin to Level 3, but a change in some of the stricter restrictions associated with higher levels.

The situation in Dublin was aggravated by the initial focus of five hours of meetings between the cabinet subcommittee on Kovid-19 and three party leaders, Taoist Michael Martin, tenist Leo Varadkar and Green Party leader Emon Ryan.

“They were long meetings,” senior government sources said. “Dublin is a serious concern.”

Officials said it would be “premature” to give Dublin a more serious Level 3 status as a full analysis of the situation in the capital has not yet taken place.