That's according to the Minister for Finance
Pascal Donohoe also says we must prepare for a battle that may last months, not just a few weeks.
A recruitment drive is being launched today to bolster staff numbers in the HSE after it confirmed it expects up to 355 daily new cases from Sunday onwards.
Currently there are 223 cases - 54 of them were confirmed last night.
Minister Donohoe says this is now a national fight to beat the virus.
