Cases rise, more Irish travel restrictions to EU, US adds Ireland to ban

Thirty-nine new cases of COVID-19 were announced on Saturday evening bringing the total in the State to 129, and a second person, a male, has become the second to die from the virus in the Republic

The patient was in the east of the country and had an underlying health issue. The new cases are among 21 males and 10 females. Some 21 are associated with the east of the country, 13 the south, three in the North West, and two in the west.

The chief medical officer, Tony Holohan, re-emphasised that everyone has to heed the advice and make sure social distancing is being enacted fully and properly. “Social distancing applies to all age groups, all people in Ireland. We need our younger generation to follow social distancing measures to protect their grandparents, parents or family members who may have underlying health conditions,” he said.

Travel ban

Meanwhile, Ireland and Britain have been added to the United States’ travel ban, with the restrictions taking effect from 4am Tuesday morning (midnight US time).

Under the restrictions, American citizens, green card holders and others are still allowed to return home to the US — but will be funnelled to 13 airports and be subjected to health screenings and quarantine orders, according to reports.

The Irish Government is also advising against all non-essential travel to Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said.

Many countries imposing travel restrictions due to #COVID19 Irish citizens should now exercise a high degree of caution when making travel plans.@dfatirl now advising against non-essential travel to Czech, Cyprus, Denmark, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Spain & No travel to Italy. pic.twitter.com/mGTdFjJint

— Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) March 14, 2020

“Many countries imposing travel restrictions due to Irish citizens should now exercise a high degree of caution when making travel plans.”

This is expected to update over the coming days as talks around the coronavirus continue and change daily.