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The NI Executive is actively considering “additional planned interventions” to deal with the spread of Covid-19, the Health Minister said.
Robin Swann said he did not “want to go back to a long-term or indefinite lockdown.”
The Health Department announced another 462 cases of Covid-19 on Sunday.
One person died in the last 24 hours after testing positive.
There are 65 people in the hospital after testing positive for the virus, of which nine are in intensive care.
In the Republic of Ireland, 364 new cases of Covid-19 were recorded on Sunday and no new deaths were reported.
Earlier, Stormont Finance Minister Conor Murphy told the BBC’s Sunday Politics that “all options” would be discussed when the executive meets on Monday.
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Finance Minister Conor Murphy said the executive would consider “all options”
Meanwhile, a 46-year-old woman has been charged with violating coronavirus regulations in Strabane.
The woman is the first person in Northern Ireland to be charged under the new legislation.
He is due to appear in Londonderry Magistrates Court on Monday.
Murphy said he was “concerned” by the increase in cases, adding “as is the entire executive.
“The executive’s main focus is protecting life and the steps that need to be taken we will take,” he said.
“We have to adopt a balanced vision and, we are sure, that the population will accompany us.”
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Robin Swann said NI hospitals “were already under increasing pressure and this will intensify in the coming weeks given the spread of new cases.”
“The executive has taken concrete actions on various fronts and I will not hesitate to recommend further restrictions,” he continued.
“Saving lives and protecting our health service must come first.”
The Health Minister also urged people not to “look for gaps or gray areas in the regulations.”
The Stormont executive announced on Thursday new restrictions for the city of Derry and the Strabane Council area in an effort to stem the increase in the number of infections.
They include hospitality businesses that are limited to takeout, home delivery and cookouts, and a call to avoid unnecessary travel.
‘Get ready’
Speaking about the increase in cases in NI, Dr. Gerry Waldron from the Public Health Agency said that the circuit breaker lockout was “almost inevitable.”
A circuit breaker is a short, sharp period of strict restrictions so that everyone can slow the spread of the coronavirus.
“It’s not a place we expected to be at this time of year, early October, we thought, if anything, we could see it in mid-October,” he told Radio Ulster on Sunday with Steven Rainey.
“We are absolutely insisting that people follow the advice to maintain a social distance from other individuals, as far as possible, of two meters.
“We will have to prepare and see how things develop in the next few days and next week.”
He stressed the need to stick to the basics: maintain a social distance, wear a mask, and keep washing your hands.
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In a speech on the BBC’s Andrew Marr program, Boris Johnson urged people to behave “fearlessly but with common sense” in their approach to the coronavirus.
The prime minister warned of a “bumpy ride” until Christmas and beyond, saying that winter could be “very harsh” for everyone.
He added that there had to be a balance between saving lives and protecting the economy.
