Anyone who is injured or feeling unwell this long weekend is being urged to consider a pharmacy, out of hours GP or injury clinic as their first port-of-call.
The HSE says hospitals are already 'extremely busy', and it wants people to stay away unless absolutely necessary.
However its stressing that anyone who does present to an Emergency Department over Easter will be seen and treated, with those most ill and urgent cases being prioritised for care.
Sinn Fein Health spokesperson David Cullinane more money for healthcare, and an end to the HSE recruitment freeze are urgently needed:
"The funding is not there. The Minister for Health of course has to take responsibility but so too does the entire cabinet and if Simon Harris really wants a change of direction in relation to health services and really wants to bring a step change well then the first course of action he should take is to reverse that disastrous decision taken by him and his cabinet colleagues to put in place this recruitment embargo."
