Coronavirus update: All pubs asked to close after rise of 40 new cases

After videos emerged on social media of crowds in pubs on Saturday night, the Irish Government has asked all pubs and bars to close until March 29th at the earliest as 40 new positive cases were announced in the Republic on Sunday

It was confirmed that the country’s pubs and hotel bars are shutting down tonight, Sunday, in the latest bid to stem the spread of Covid-19. The move is essential for public health, and it leaves a significant strain on the industry with 50,000 bar workers out of work alongside the possibility that some pubs might never open again.

It comes after there was widespread anger as videos circulating on social media showed many not observing measures of social distancing. Then on Sunday, 40 new positive cases of the coronavirus were announced, bringing the total of 169 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Republic.

.@CMOIreland Everyone is asked to reduce their social contact over this time period. House parties carry the same risks as being in a pub/club, therefore people should not organise or attend them. The virus is now in our community, it is up to us to limit its spread @roinnslainte

— MerrionStreet.ie (@merrionstreet) March 15, 2020

Those newly diagnosed are 23 men and 17 women, with 25 associated in the east of the country, nine in the west, and six of the people diagnosed in the south.

“Decisive action”

“All pubs and bars in Ireland will close tonight until 29th March,” announced Health Minister Simon Harris. “Difficult day for staff & businesses but right thing to do. Huge sacrifice being made by many who work in this sector so please let this be a sign to all about how seriously we must take this.”

People who have been out this weekend should avoid physical contact with seniors or people with chronic diseases. You could make them very very sick.

— Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) March 15, 2020

“I’m conscious that those people will be without employment for a period of weeks, but it’s absolutely clear from international evidence from the advice of our public health experts that the best hope any country has of containing this virus and slowing down its spread is to take decisive action in line with public health advice,” he added.

“This is a very serious virus. People need to cop on and wise up”

The Government said it will also monitor restaurants and cinemas on the effectiveness of the guidelines on social distancing in the coming days.

Main photo: Unsplash

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