A passenger who was put in isolation after arriving at Dublin Airport with a suspected case of coronavirus has tested negative for the deadly disease.
The man was met by medics in protective clothing after he displayed "flu-like symptoms" on a flight understood to be from Moscow in Russia.
As many as six ambulances were seen on landing before the patient was rushed to the Mater Hospital where he was placed in an isolation unit.
He was tested at the National Virus Reference Laboratory in UCD on Sunday where it was confirmed that he had not contracted the virus, which has already claimed the lives of over 300 people.
The man's fellow passengers were held on the plane for a number of hours and were provided with a leaflet advising them to "avoid contact with other people" and ring 999 if they displayed symptoms of the virus.
It read: "You have been on a flight from Moscow today with a possible case of novel Coronavirus.
"Please avoid contact with other people as much as possible tonight.
"If you become ill, especially with a cough, sore throat, breathlessness or high temperature please stay home or in you hotel room and phone a doctor or 999 for advice, mentioning that you are on this flight.
"A public health doctor will contact you tomorrow."
Longford woman Laura Noonan, who has been travelling to Russia regularly for treatment for a rare blood illness, was also on the flight and shared updates on social media.
She said: "Our plane is on the runway and nobody is allowed off as a man was removed by a paramedic wearing a full hazmat suit. They seem to think he has the coronavirus.
"Has coronavirus arrived on our shores? We are terrified. Prayers please for a speedy resolution."
Laura's friends Bernadette provided a further update on Monday morning saying authorities had been in touch to confirm the man had tested negative for coronavirus.
She said: "She [Laura] became more unwell as the day progressed and all of the trauma didn’t help her condition.
"We had to seek medical assistance late last night and she is currently in hospital.
"The good news is we have been informed that the Chinese passenger tested negative for coronavirus so we can now close the book on that and get back to looking after an already very sick girl."
A Department of Health spokeswoman told Dublin Live there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Ireland as of Monday afternoon.
She added: "Ireland has advanced plans in place as part of its comprehensive preparedness to deal with public health emergencies such as novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
"These plans include standard protocols for the management of suspected cases of infectious disease on aircraft and for the follow-up (contact tracing) of other passengers where necessary.
"These protocols have been developed and are activated in accordance with guidance from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)."
