keep calm and wash your hands #CORONAVIRUS Speaking at a press briefing in Dublin tonight, the Department of Health’s Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan said the Department of Foreign Affairs is now recommending the avoidance of non-essential travel to the Lombardy, Veneto, Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna regions in northern Italy.
The latest travel advice can be read here. Holohan said more isolated cases are expected to be imported into Ireland, but that there is “no evidence of local transmission here”. He added: “We don’t think it’s likely (there are more than two cases here).” Holohan said if more cases emerge here, the main concern is for vulnerable people such as the elderly and people with disabilities. Mass gatherings Guidelines surrounding mass gathering are expected to be published in next few days. Holohan said the St Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin is unlikely to be cancelled. He added: “As things now stand, we see no reason why that wouldn’t take place.”
RELATED READ 03.03.20 #dublin #ireland As it happened: Second case of Covid-19 confirmed in Republic of Ireland and more cases expected Dr John Cuddihy, Director of the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, said the female in question has been interviewed as part of tracing people she came into contact with. He said this process is at an early stage as the group only found out about the case this evening. Speaking about confusion surrounding the veracity of a letter stating that a teenage band had been told to self-isolate in relation to the first confirmed case of Covid-19 here, Holohan said: “We made clear in public today that there has been a number of inaccurate or hoax letters circulating … The information that comes from the Department of Health is reliable.” Department and HSE officials earlier today said the letter in question was fake before later clarifying that it was genuine. The group would not comment on the male at the centre of the first case or his condition. journal/covid-19-new-case-5028199-Mar2020/
