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LAST UPDATE | 1 Mar 2020
A SCHOOL IN Dublin is set to close for 14 days in response to the first case of Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland.
Last night, the first case of the Covid-19 coronavirus in the Republic of Ireland was confirmed. The patient is a male and a resident in the eastern part of the country.
It’s understood the patient is a pupil at the school and that the school is based in Glasnevin, Dublin 9.
He is currently receiving medical treatment.
Health officials have contacted the school and the principal, staff and parents of pupils of this school have been notified.
The Department of Health has not specified what connection there is between the Covid-19 patient and the school.
All pupils and teachers are being asked to restrict their movements until the end of the incubation period.
Officials said that they will receive guidance on the meaning of “restricted movements”.
Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, said in a statement: “Contact tracing has assessed that close contacts of this patient includes pupils and teachers of a secondary school. Public health doctors are in direct contact with pupils, their parents and the staff involved.”
He said that patient confidentiality should be “respected”.
A statement, issued on behalf of the Department of Education, said it “is available to assist the school in any way necessary”.
It said that the department was in “regular contact” with the Department of Health.
The closing of this school was a decision made on public health grounds after risk assessment deemed it appropriate. All other schools will remain open. The Departments will continue to communicate with all schools on this issue.
TDs and local representatives have tweeted this evening, urging people to take the advice of the HSE and Department of Health.
Gary Gannon TD / Twitter
Gary Gannon TD / Twitter / Twitter
Paul McAuliffe TD / TwitterI understand the HSE has made a decision to close a school in the Dublin 9 area. Parents have been contacted and I have also contacted the school concerned to see how I can be of assistance. This is a public health issue and we are best following the HSE's advice closely.
— Paul McAuliffe TD (@PaulMcauliffe) March 1, 2020
‘Contact tracing’
Earlier today, Dr Ronan Glynn, deputy chief medical officer in the department, told the This Week programme on RTÉ Radio One that contact tracing commenced in the past 24 hours and is ongoing.
This evening, Holohan confirmed that contact tracing has not yet been completed.
“It’s a large school in numbers terms,” he said. But he was clear that this incident doesn’t move Ireland from the containment to the mitigation phase of response to Covid-19.
Sean Murray / Twitter“It’s a large school in numbers terms,” Dr Holohan says. This incident on its own doesn’t move matters from the containment phase to the mitigation phase.
— Sean Murray (@SeanMJourno) March 1, 2020
Holohan declined to say whether the patient is a pupil or a teacher at the school, telling reporters that it was about protecting the person’s identity.
Asked about whether the school could soon be identified on social media, Holohan said “that may well be”.
“From our point of view, this information won’t come from us,” he said.
Holohan added that health officials would provide daily briefings from now with an update on Covid-19 in Ireland.
Contact tracing has, however, been completed regarding the confirmed case in Northern Ireland according to the officials.
Response
There are no plans to introduce flight restrictions from northern Italy to Ireland, officials said this evening.
Dr Cillian De Gascun, virologist and chair of the HSE’s Coronavirus Expert Advisory Group, said last night: “Nothing really changes for Ireland, we’re still in the containment phase.”
In a statement last night, health minister Simon Harris said he had notified Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of the case and urged people to heed the advice of health officials.
The Department of Health has said it will provide an update on the number of people in Ireland tested for Covid-19 this coming Tuesday.
Worldwide, about 87,000 people have been infected and nearly 3,000 people killed since the virus was first detected late last year in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.
China reported a fresh spike in infections today, with 573 new cases – the highest figure in a week after a dip.
All but three of them were in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital. The virus has spread to more than 60 countries around the globe, prompting the World Health Organisation to raise its risk assessment to its highest level.
According to the most extensive study done so far, the novel coronavirus was benign in 80.9% of cases, “serious” in 13.8% and “critical” in 4.7%.
The remaining 0.6% was not specified.
Part of the reason Covid-19 has been declared a public health emergency is due to the speed at which it has spread compared to other coronaviruses (like Sars and Mers) and the fact that there’s a lot about the disease we still don’t know – including how exactly it’s being transmitted.
The HSE’s main advice page on the coronavirus changed overnight to note the new case.
In a section detailing the risk of catching the virus, the latest advice says:
The risk of catching coronavirus in Ireland is still low. This may change. However, most people may continue to go to work, school and other public places, as usual.
With reporting from Sean Murray
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Another pointless flight on a government jet.
@v39e84kK: It’s not a pointless flight you absolute whinger. They were invited by Ukraine to visit. Every foreign dignitary that visits is a show of solidarity. To refuse the invitation would be worse.
@Seán Ó Briain: No it wouldn’t, what effect would it tangibly have? This meeting served no purpose. Ireland is already helping Ukraine and will continue to do so. This achieved nothing but wasted money and you know that.
@v39e84kK: You can imagine it now Putin on the loudspeaker in the Donbas region “the west is with us comrades! the Taoiseach came! the Tanaiste! 8 other Irish politicians! But….the Ceann Comhairle did not! onwards to protracted conflict!”
@v39e84kK: why don’t you lot ever relax and try and understand why Ireland does what we do and why we should do it.
@Paul Furey: “you lot”? Who is that exactly?
@v39e84kK: awww somebody sad they didn’t get to go on the govt jet ..? :(
@Ciaran: Yeah, that’s it Ciaran. You are a great detective. Honestly the amount of people who don’t care how the government spends their time and money is amazing.
@v39e84kK: eh Dominic Ukraine asked him to visit, how about you let the Ukrainians decide what they think is useful cause I’ve a feeling they might have a better sense of usefulness 8n their country then you do. The whinging on here is limitless sometimes
@v39e84kK: government officials need to travel abroad for diplomatic Missions. Have a day off will ya
@Sean Minihane: no they don’t. This is at least the fifth Irish politician to visit Kyiv. It’s pointless.
@v39e84kK: the whingers like you who complain about everything
Also, the EU is an economic union. I have no ill-will to that nation but why on earth are people championing that a country in absolute ruin after a war be let into an economic union of trade and free movement? That’s insanity for everyone except Ukraine, and probably not so good for them either if it does a brain-drain on the kinds of people they need to rebuild their nation.
@v39e84kK: if You were A Ukrainian would You make them comments We Have to Support Our Fellow Europeans against A Dictator
@pat seery: What does that have to do with EU membership? Oh, nothing. I see.
@v39e84kK: “…why on earth are people championing that a country in absolute ruin after a war be let into an economic union of trade and free movement?” Maybe because it would be the right thing to do?
@Earth Traveller: No. But you are entitled to your opinion. Shall we add Nigeria, Congo, Rwanda into a free trade and free movement union too? Turkey is too corrupt for the EU but Ukraine after a war is a good member state? No. It’s not. Ukraine is very corrupt, that’s well documented. Educate yourself. The place had a coup less than a decade ago essentially.
@v39e84kK: you clearly know nothing about Ukraine then do u. Economically it is a very string country
@Peter Roche: is it yeah? So how was it’s EU application going in the 20+ since it became a sovereign state? Oh it wasnt. Will it be economically strong after the war? No.
I really don’t know how Volodymyr Zelenskyy keeps going. He must be physically and mentally exhausted.
@Fr. Fintan Stack: no worries for that, US keeps sending good stuff. He is skiing every day the white powder in his office ! The best is when he is at the office on Saturday night for his TikTok party ! This is priceless..
Yemen, Syria, Libya and Palestine next.. Nah don’t thinks..
Big unit.
I hope Zelinsky asks him why we haven’t kicked out the Russian ambassador and his cadre of staff.
Most people who live here would like to see them booted out.
@Davey Ohanlon: nope because, what does that achieve for the Irish in Russia, we should be at the front of peace talks instead of in the line throw milltary aid into this mess
@Ken Red: What makes you think we would have any say in peace talks?
@Ken Red:
That’s assuming Putin wants peace and it’s also assuming that the Ukrainians and others are willing to forgo war crimes charges against Putin and his army.
Do you honestly think Putin would settle for peace without coming away without any land gains?…not a hope in hell.
The sanctions, asset seizures of his pals, loss of Russian soldiers lives, their economy, their military proven to be inept and vulnerable to western weapons.
He literally can’t afford to strike a peace deal and come away with nothing.
A peace deal with Putin will basically be a form of appeasment and no deterrent not to do the same again.
Game of Thrones expo photo Op.
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