Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister has said there is "no doubt" that an intervention is required to gain control over the spread of coronavirus.
Michelle O'Neill said the Stormont Executive will discuss the timing of an intervention when ministers meet tomorrow.
A public health expert said there was no public health leadership in Northern Ireland resulting in an extraordinarily difficult period, likely to worsen as Christmas approaches.
President of Epidemiology and Public Health at the Royal Society of Medicine, Dr Gabriel Scally, told RTÉ's Six One that Stormont ministers had failed to get a grip of the situation and produce the sort of package of measures that would bring the disease under control.
Dr Scally said there was a poor contact tracing system in Northern Ireland and no controls at borders and ports.
He said he agreed with Dr Tom Black, the British Medical Association leader in Northern Ireland, who said the situation was caused by a failure of leadership at the highest level.
Dr Scally said the political and professional leadership had been deficient and the region was paying the price.
Health Minister Robin Swann is due to bring proposals to the executive tomorrow for further Covid-19 restrictions.
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Ms O'Neill said she intends to make the "right decision" around coronavirus restrictions, and "not the popular one".
"Christmas will be here next year also, it is a very difficult time, it is a very difficult decision to make as political leaders, sometimes you have to do the right thing, not the popular thing and in my mind what we need to do is whatever is right to keep people safe and to save lives," she said.
"I am up for doing whatever is required, so I'll work with Executive colleagues tomorrow to try and arrive at a position that actually delivers that."
It comes as eight further coronavirus deaths have been recorded in Northern Ireland, six occurring during the past 24 hours.
It takes the official death toll to 1,143.
510 new cases of the disease have also been confirmed from tests on 3,242 individuals, taking the cumulative total to 59,631.
There are 457 confirmed Covid-19 patients in hospital, with 32 in ICU, 25 of whom are on ventilators.
First Minister Arlene Foster said she did not expect Mr Swann to be recommending that new measures be introduced before Christmas.
"I don't think he will be proposing closing down before Christmas but we will of course look to see what Robin and his team of advisers have to say to us, I don't want to prejudge what he is going to say to us tomorrow but we are in a serious situation," she said.
"Unfortunately the last two weeks don't appear to have brought the R number down below 1, there is a diminishing return in terms of restrictions, people are out and about now and so there is a very great need for people to have personal responsibility.
"I am not going to prejudge what the minister is going to bring to us but undoubtedly we will have something to say tomorrow and over the next few days."
Ms O'Neill also urged people to follow the public health advice, and asked they limit their movements ahead of Christmas gatherings.
Asked if the executive had eased circuit-breaker restrictions too soon, Ms O'Neill said: "We followed the public health advice the whole way through, I wouldn't have done anything unless it was supported by the chief medical officer and chief scientific adviser and that will be the position again tomorrow.
"But I would make a strong case that we clearly need an intervention, it's the timing of when that can be most effective that we need to consider, but I don't think there is any doubt that an intervention is required."
Mrs Foster and Ms O'Neill both expressed concern at pressures on the health service.
Hospital capacity across the North stood at 104% yesterday.
At one point outside Antrim Area Hospital, 17 ambulances containing patients were lined up outside the ED and doctors were treating patients in the car park.
"It's not where we want to be, and of course we always have winter pressures this time of the year, but Covid-19 has exacerbated that," Mrs Foster said.
Ms O'Neill added: "it is totally unacceptable that people are being cared for in the back of ambulances but that shows you our health service is under huge pressure so it is very clear to me that what we need is to have an intervention, what that looks like we will discuss at the Executive tomorrow."
The situation at the Antrim Area Hospital improved significantly overnight and there are now no ambulances queuing outside or patients being tended to in the car park.
