It comes after the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) once more recommended that pubs without a food licence should remain closed.
A proposal to make organising or attending a gathering of more than six people an offence is being considered by Cabinet this afternoon. They will also consider giving gardaí new powers to shut down pubs that breach public health guidelines.
The Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) is in favour of the Government introducing a temporary prohibition.
It argues that people drinking in a pub operating within the guidelines is safer than gatherings in private homes.
The VFI chief executive, Padraig Cribben, said: "If we are in such a bind, if the numbers are increasing at such a rate, what we actually should do is look at whether we should take a period of three weeks and stop the sale of alcohol in off-licences."
He said the Government could "take action" immediately and bring in minimum unit pricing for alcohol.
Cork publican Michael O'Donovan said he was also in favour of closing off-licences and banning supermarkets from selling alcohol.
“House parties have been an ongoing concern since the very start of this pandemic,” he said.
“If the Government are really serious about bringing these numbers under control and getting them down, they need to take a serious look at where the alcohol is purchased for these house parties.
“It is not being purchased in licenced premises. A licenced premises is a much more controlled environment.”
Health officials on Thursday night said they were monitoring 393 clusters of the virus around the country – 252 of which are related to private homes.
Dr Colm Henry, a member of the NPHET, said now was not the right time to reopen pubs and international experience showed that congregated settings and alcohol were not good conditions for transmission of the virus.
Speaking on RTE's Morning Ireland, Dr Henry said the new advice was to double up “on all our behaviours”, which meant that now was not the right time to reopen pubs with rising community transmissions.
