LAST UPDATE | 13 Mar 2020

THERE ARE 20 new cases of coronavirus confirmed in Ireland, the Department of Health has said this evening.

Six of the cases are associated travel. Twelve are associated with contacts of confirmed cases, four of which are healthcare workers.

Two of them are associated with community transmission. There are now seven cases of Covid-19 in Ireland that have been identified as being through community transmission.

There are now 90 confirmed cases in Ireland. Yesterday, the figures had risen to 70 confirmed cases. There are also 29 confirmed cases in Northern Ireland. 

One person has died from the virus here so far.

Sixteen of the confirmed 90 cases in Ireland relate to one cluster travelling back from one affected area.

The latest update comes as the country is in its first full day of schools, colleges and public facilities being closed.

The HSE is now working to identify any contacts the patients may have had, to provide them information and advice to prevent further spread.

This evening, chief medical officer Tony Holohan said the National Public Health Emergency Team “will continue to monitor the ongoing threat of this virus and will take actions where necessary”.

“For people returning from areas affected by Covid-19, we strongly encourage the individual to restrict their movements,” he said. 

Holohan said officials will be meeting with their counterparts in Northern Ireland to discuss the experience and management of the crisis at the weekend.

He added that the government has not recommended a full lockdown, and hasn’t asked bars and cafes to close. It is asking people to minimise their social contact until 29 March.

“We are not locking down the country,” Holohan said.

Dr Ronan Glynn, deputy chief medical officer, said; “We appreciate these measures have a significant impact on the daily lives of families. However, they are necessary for the public good.

Parents should try and avoid arranging play dates for groups of young children at this early stage of the outbreak.

However, rather than staying indoors, consider outdoor activities such as playing football in the open in small groups of 3 or 4 while maintaining social distancing of 2 metres.

“This is a time to be mindful of the public health guidelines and apply these measures to your daily lives.”

Glynn added that if children continue to mix, the measures brought in “won’t be as effective as we want them to be”.

“In as much as possible, adults and children should reduce discretionary social contact,” he said. “We don’t want large gatherings of children like the summer holidays.”

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said yesterday the measures were “unprecedented”, while Tánaiste Simon Coveney said that “never before has such drastic action been taken in the face of a public health threat”.

Varadkar added that there will be more cases and more people will get sick and “unfortunately we must face the tragic reality that some people will die”.

All authorities and health officials said the measures were coming into effect on the strongest possible advice.

With reporting from Dominic McGrath