Coronavirus: Ireland closes all schools and says mass gatherings should be cancelled as country goes into lockdown

‘Collective national response will potentially save thousands of lives,’ deputy premier says

Ireland will close all schools and universities until 29 March and restrict all mass public gatherings in an attempt to halt the spread of the coronavirus, acting prime minister Leo Varadkar has said.

The virtual lockdown will start from 6pm tonight and remain in place for two weeks, Irish premier Leo Varadkar has said.

Teaching will be done online or remotely while schools and colleges close down as Ireland battles the spread of Covid-19.

Childcare facilities will also be temporarily shut, and people will be encouraged to work from home, the taoiseach said.

For those who still have to go to offices, work and break times should be “staggered” where possible.

While restaurants, cafes and other businesses can stay open, Mr Varadkar warned people "to reduce social interactions as much as possible.”

Indoor gatherings of more than 100 people and outdoor meetings of more than 500 should also be cancelled, the government has said.

They also recommend that museums, galleries and tourist sites close as authorities work to contain the outbreak.

“We've a duty as a society to protect ourselves, our parents and grandparents, our family and friends, our co-workers and neighbours,” Mr Varadkar said in the statement which was broadcast on national television from Washington, where he is due to meet President Donald Trump on Thursday.

“In the period ahead, the government will deploy all the resources we can muster. They are extensive but not unlimited. This is going to involve big changes in the way we live our lives and I know I'm asking people to make enormous sacrifices. Acting together as a nation, we can save many lives.”

“These are the right measures, at the right time,” Mr Varadkar’s deputy, Simon Coveney, added.

“If we have a collective national response we will save potentially thousands of lives.”

The move comes after Ireland saw its first death linked to coronavirus on Wednesday.

Announcing the new measures, the taoiseach said many more people in Ireland – where the number of confirmed cases stands at 43 - would get the virus and fall ill.

“Unfortunately we must face the tragic reality that some people will die,” Mr Varadkar said.

The taoiseach said he was acting on fresh advice from the country’s National Public Health Emergency Team.​

“We have not witnessed a pandemic of this nature in living memory and this is uncharted territory for us,” he said. “We said we would take the right actions at the right time and we have to move now to have the greatest impact.”

More than 125,000 people have been infected with Covid-19 – a flu-like disease that can develop into pneumonia – across the globe, according to a Reuters tally.

As of Thursday, there have been more than 4,600 recorded deaths since the virus originated in central China towards the end of last year.

The whole of Italy – the worst-hit country in Europe – entered a state of lockdown this week as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases continued to soar.

The World Health Organisation declared the Covid-19 outbreak a pandemic on Wednesday.

Additional reporting by Press Association