The Republic of Ireland on Thursday announced that it would be closing all schools and colleges in an effort to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
Ireland reported its first coronavirus-related death on Wednesday 11 March after an elderly woman died in hospital in Dublin.
The new measure was announced by the Prime Minister and is scheduled to last until the end of the month.
On Thursday 12 March, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar announced the new measure in an address to the nation broadcast from Washington where he is set to meet with President Trump as part of the St Patrick’s Day tradition.
The measure will see all of Ireland’s schools, colleges and childcare facilities closed.
All indoor gatherings of 100 more people will also be cancelled as will outdoor gatherings of 500 or more.
It came as Donald Trump made a coronavirus announcement of his own, shutting down all travel from Europe, except for Britain and Ireland.
He said that the action had been determined as a necessary measure in stopping the spread of the coronavirus in Ireland. Varadkar said “I know that some of this is coming as a real shock and it’s going to involve big changes in the way we live our lives, and I know I am asking people to make enormous sacrifices.
“But we are doing it for each other – together we can slow the virus in its tracks and push it back.
“We have not witnessed a pandemic of this nature in living memory and this is uncharted territory for us. We said we would take the right actions at the right time and we have to move now to have the greatest impact.”
The shut-down begins on Friday 13 March and is currently scheduled to last until Sunday 29 March.
While the shut-down is in place, teaching will be done online to ensure that education is disrupted as little as possible.
Public transport will continue to operate as normal and businesses will remain open as normal.
Varadkar encouraged people to work from home where possible and that those working in offices ensure their breaks are “staggered” and that “people should seek to reduce social interactions as much as possible.”
Schools and colleges have also been closed in Malta, Slovakia and Denmark.
So far, Italy has taken the most severe measures of any European nation, announcing a nationwide quarantine and closing all non-essential stores, as well as bars, restaurants and other establishments.
Spain’s parliament has been suspended for 15 days, with necessary meetings to be held via video conference. All La Liga matches have been suspended for the rest of the month.
The President of the Madrid region of Spain has also said that the government is considering locking down the Spanish capital.
The Czech Republic has announced it will be bringing in controls on its borders with Austria and Germany. – Edinburgh News.
