Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has announced that all schools, colleges and childcare facilities will close from this evening until March 29 while also advising businesses that employees should work remotely if possible.
Varadkar made the statement from Washington DC, which he is currently visiting for St. Patrick's Day just after 11am.
Varadkar started the statement by saying that there will be many more cases of the Covid-19 bug and that Ireland must face the tragic realisation that more people will die.
As well as the closures, he said indoor mass gatherings of more than 100 people and outdoor mass gatherings of more than 500 people should be cancelled.
He urged the public and businesses to take a sensible approach to the coronavirus and to 'take the right action at the right time'.
Varadkar added that for most people, the disease will be mild but that the situation will be more serious for elderly people and those with underlying conditions.
There will be a press conference at the Department of Health at 11:30am
Just an hour before that, the Mater Hospital in Dublin has also confirmed that it is limiting activity as well as cancelling most waiting list surgeries and outpatient appointments as coronavirus fears continue to grow across the country.
The hospital will only go ahead with essential activities but hundreds of other patients will now have their appointments put on hold.
They said: "The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital is limiting activity at the hospital to essential services only from today (Thursday 12th March).
"This means that all outpatient appointments and elective surgeries will be limited to essential services only until further notice.
"The Mater regrets the impact that this will have on our patients but these new arrangements are necessary in order to deal with the impact of Covid-19. Patients whose appointments are being deferred will be contacted by phone.
"Our staff across every part of the hospital are carrying out trojan work around the clock to deal with the virus, care for those infected and to protect and care for other patients in the hospital.
"The Mater Hospital is employing all infection control measures and every effort is being made to manage and control the spread of the virus.
"Visitor restrictions remain in place for public and patient safety. The only visitors who are allowed on campus are those who are visiting patients in critical care, vulnerable young adults, or those whose loved ones are receiving end of life care.
"No children are permitted to visit the hospital under any circumstances. We thank the public and our patients for their cooperation at this time."
An Irish coronavirus patient who was being treated for the illness sadly died yesterday in the east of the country while as nine new cases were confirmed in the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday, bringing the total number of cases on the island of Ireland to 61 with 43 in the Republic.
