LAST UPDATE | 13 Apr 2020

HEALTH OFFICIALS THIS evening confirmed that 31 more people diagnosed with Covid-19 have died. 

The number of confirmed cases here now exceeds 10,000. 

Here are today’s Covid-19 main points:

• The announcement of the latest figures brings the total death toll in Ireland to 365. 
• Younger people have reported speaking to more people face-to-face than older people since restrictions to stop the spread of Covid-19 were introduced. 
• How and when the restrictions on the Irish public during the Covid-19 crisis are lifted will have to be examined “very carefully” to prevent a “potentially very dangerous peak” of new cases here. 
• A further six people died in Northern Ireland in the past day, increasing the death toll there to 124. 76 new cases were confirmed today, bringing the total number of cases to 1,882. 
• Over 100 fines were issued for large house parties, barbecues and other lockdown breaches by NI police at the weekend.
• Recent reports of animals testing positive for Covid-19 should be taken seriously, but there is still no indication pets are transmitting the disease to humans, the Veterinary Council of Ireland (VCI) has said.
• The HSE said the availability of gowns for healthcare workers is a “significant issue” and will remain so until a further delivery of personal protective equipment (PPE) arrives from China.   
• RTÉ aired a special remembrance ceremony today. Filmed at the Garden of Remembrance and featuring a lone piper and members of the Defence Forces presenting wreaths, it was broadcast on RTÉ One at 5.55pm. 

Here are today’s Covid-19 main international points:

• China has reported 108 new Covid-19 cases, 98 of which were imported from overseas, its highest figure since early March.
• The United States may be ready to start gradually reopening next month, the government’s top infectious diseases expert has said.
• A sailor who was aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier has died of Covid-19, the first fatality from nearly 600 confirmed cases among its crew. (CNN)
• Paris police said they caught a church in Paris holding a secret Easter mass with dozens of worshippers, breaching strict lockdown measures.
• Meanwhile French President Emmanuel Macron is this evening expected to warn the country its lockdown to combat the coronavirus must go on for several more weeks at least, while also outlining how the country will recover from the crisis.
• Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli performed a solo Easter concert from an empty Milan cathedral streamed live to millions of people.  
• In Spain, some construction and factory workers are set to return to work.
• Spain’s daily death tolls figure have continued their downward trend, with government figures showing 517 more deaths from Covid-19.
• 575 patients have died from Covid-19 in Scotland, up by nine from 566 on Sunday, Nicola Sturgeon said. In total, 6,067 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the country. 

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can make sure we can keep reliable, meaningful news open to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.

Support us Learn More