LAST UPDATE | 22 Mar 2020

ANOTHER 121 PEOPLE have been confirmed to have coronavirus in the Republic of Ireland as the fourth Irish death was also announced.

It now means that there have been 1,034 confirmed cases on the island of Ireland with the North reporting 20 new diagnoses today, bringing the total there to 128. A second death has also occurred in Northern Ireland. 

With the numbers increasing, social distancing continues to be important, even today, on Mother’s Day. The HSE is urging people to continue to comply with Covid-19 guidelines. 

Here are today’s main Covid-19 points: 

• A fourth person with Covid-19 has died in the Republic of Ireland, it was confirmed this evening. Another 121 cases were also confirmed, bringing the total here to 906.
• The second death of a patient with Covid-19 in Northern Ireland was confirmed this afternoon. 
• About 40,000 in Ireland are waiting to have a Covid-19 test, the HSE has said.
• The HSE also said that it is is working to a double bed capacity in its hospital system and will be adding another 10,000 beds.
• It has also placed huge orders for Covid-19 testing equipment and face masks.
• It’s Mother’s Day today and here’s some advice on how to celebrate the day while keeping social distancing. 
• The Chief Medical Officer and the Minister for Health have issued a warning to pubs that are still open that they could face being forcibly closed. 
• Tánaitse Simon Coveney said the government is arranging a charter flight to fly Irish citizens out of Peru.
• Wicklow County Council has closed the upper car park of Glendalough and gardaí have closed the Sally Gap due to traffic in the area. 

In international coronavirus news: 

• The death toll from coronavirus in the UK now stands at 281, the British government said this evening. An increase of 48 deaths in 24 hours. 
• Italy today recorded 651 deaths, fewer than yesterday’s highest total of 793. The country’s death toll now stands at 5,476.  
• Spain’s prime minister is to ask parliament to extend a state of emergency until 11 April 11 to try to curb the spread of coronavirus after the country recorded 394 new deaths from the disease.
• Iran has confirmed 129 new deaths caused by Covid-19, raising the official death toll in the country to 1,685. 
• A doctor has become the first French medical professional to die in the pandemic, which has so far claimed 562 lives in France.
• The World Health Organisation’s Michael Ryan has said that authorities need to do more that just lockdown cities to battle Covid-19 and must “take the fight to the virus”. 
• EasyJet has apologised after it emerged that a motivational video addressing staff about the coronavirus heavily resembled Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s St Patrick’s Day speech.
• Australia has announced a €36 billion spending plan to limit the economic damage of the pandemic. 
• Millions of people in India have been asked to observe a 14-hour curfew today that is designed to test the country’s ability to fight the pandemic. 
• Dubai carrier Emirates Airlines is suspending all if its passengers services from Wednesday 25 March.  
• Singapore said it will fully shut its borders from Tuesday after recording its first two deaths.

With reporting by Rónán Duffy