Coronavirus: Tourists urged to curb movements on return

Health Minister Simon Harris said people coming back from Spain and Italy should restrict their movements for the next two weeks

The Irish government has issued more advice to people coming back from areas with significant coronavirus outbreaks.

Health Minister Simon Harris said people coming back from Spain and Italy are being asked to restrict their movements for the next two weeks.

The advice includes not going to work, and to lessen their social interactions.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said: "It is not quite self-isolate, but to restrict their movements."

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The decision was made following a meeting on Thursday night of the National Public Health Emergency Team.

"Anyone returning from Italy and Spain will be met by environmental health workers on their return at the airport and told to restrict their movements."

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The Republic of Ireland's Health Service Executive has been asked to identify about 10,000 beds for coronavirus cases.

It is part of contingency planning for a potential worst-case scenario, national broadcaster RTE says.

The locations for beds would include existing health facilities, student accommodation, hotel rooms, military and other sites.

The beds would be used for treatment, according to the HSE.

However, it is hoping that they will not be needed.

Staffing for the extra beds would be done through re-deployment and also calling on retired health staff.

The contingency planning is based on a potential worst-case scenario

Meanwhile, Garda (police) Commissioner Drew Harris has written to a number of senior officers due to retire in the next few weeks asking them to stay on in the national interest.

More than 300 students from the Garda College are to be attested as officers next week and allocated to police stations all over the country, Commissioner Harris announced.

Annual leave for gardaí will be restricted and a new roster will go into effect from next Monday, as part of the policing plan.

Northern Ireland executive ministers are to meet with tánaiste (Irish deputy PM) Simon Coveney and Irish health minister Mr Harris on Saturday.

The Republic of Ireland is now in the "delay phase" of the outbreak.

The National Public Health Emergency Team said the delay phase measures may result in 200 people a week catching the virus over five weeks, rather than 500 people a week catching the virus over two weeks.

The aim is to help the health system and society cope better, over an extended timeframe.

As of Friday morning, the number of confirmed infections in the Republic was 70, after 27 new diagnoses on Thursday.

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