A Dublin school has pushed forward its students' upcoming Confirmation to THIS Friday in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
St Fiachra's Senior National in Beaumont said it was bringing forward the date in case the Department of Education and the HSE instructs schools to close in the coming weeks.
The north Dublin mixed primary school let parents of sixth class pupils know that their church ceremony had been brought forward to March 13th in a letter and by text message.
A parent of one of the students said the event was meant to take place on March 20th.
They told Dublin Live: "The day has been moved, so parents will have to decide if they cancel 'the main day', which will effect local small businesses, or go ahead on a smaller scale.
"I can't attend as I am immune suppressed so the date one way or the other does not effect me. I just can't attend."
A letter was issued to parents today which explained that if the schools are told to close over the weekend or next week, the upcoming Confirmation would be postponed indefinitely.
The school said: "So rather than risk that, we have chosen to be pro-active and bring the ceremony forward.
"This is an unprecedented move but these are extraordinary times and call for extraordinary measures."
A parent told Dublin Live that approximately 180 kids are involved in the upcoming Confirmation.
They said: "It suits some, but others are concerned that any sort of large gathering is not a good idea."
There are currently 61 cases of COVID-19 on the island of Ireland.
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