Taoiseach Micheál Martin has given the strongest indication yet that the legal requirement to wear masks in shops and on public transport will soon be lifted.
He told a meeting of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party that NPHET may draw a distinction between mandatory mask wearing by law and public health advice.
The comments come ahead of a meeting of NPHET tomorrow.
Mr Martin said the focus must now be kept on vaccination, adding that there could be an annual vaccine.
He said NIAC is examining the next phase of the vaccination policy for Covid-19.
The meeting heard that nearly 800,000 people who had Covid will be eligible for a booster from March onwards.
"The booster has a huge impact on reducing hospitalisation," the Taoiseach said.
The public health team will also look at mask wearing in schools, amid a growing expectation politically that this requirement will be lifted.
Other things, such as pods and staggered breaks, will also be reviewed.
Senior sources are tonight saying that the feeling within Government is "generally positive" in terms of the disease trajectory.
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Today, the Department of Health was notified of a further 5,268 PCR-confirmed cases of Covid-19.
There have also been a further 4,613 positive antigen tests logged through the HSE portal.
The department has also reported 108 deaths related to Covid-19 since last Wednesday, bringing the total number of deaths linked to the virus to 6,399.
There are 631 people in hospital with the virus, down six from yesterday.
The number of people receiving treatment in ICU is now 62, a decrease of one from Tuesday.
In Northern Ireland, five more people who had previously tested positive for Covid-19 have died, the Department of Health said.
Another 2,889 confirmed cases of the virus have also been notified in the last 24-hour reporting period.
This morning there were 474 Covid-19 patients in hospital, 12 of whom were in intensive care.
It comes as Northern Ireland's Health Minister Robin Swann confirmed that all children aged five to 11 are to be offered a Covid-19 vaccine in line with advice from the UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
Outpatient waiting lists up by 18%
The Health Service Executive CEO Paul Reid has said that during the pandemic, outpatient waiting lists grew by 98,000 or 18%, inpatient/day cases rose by 9,000 or 14% and endoscopy waiting lists increased by 10,000 or 47%.
Mr Reid told the Oireachtas Committee on Health that demand continues to exceed capacity in many specialities and patients are waiting too long to be seen.
Meanwhile, two legal challenges to the use of Covid passports for entry into some hospitality venues in Northern Ireland have been dismissed by the High Court in Belfast.
