A second person in Ireland has sadly died from coronavirus, Dublin Live has learnt.
The latest patient to fall victim to COVID-19 is understood to be a man in his seventies from the south of the country.
It's understood that the man had recently returned from a holiday in Italy, and the Irish Independent reports that health officials are monitoring another man, in his 50s, who was away with the victm.
Yesterday an elderly woman from Co Kildare became the first person to die from the pandemic that has claimed almost 5,000 lives worldwide.
The patient, who had been treated at Naas hospital had an underlying health condition.
There have been 27 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Ireland since the last update yesterday evening.
The total of confirmed cases on the island of Ireland now stands at 70, including 20 in the North.
The country has now gone in to the delay phase of stopping coronavirus. This morning Leo Varadkar announced a raft of measures to stop the spread of the disease.
From 6pm today, all schools, colleges and childcare facilities have been ordered to close, and will remain shut until March 29th.
Most schools then break for Easter for a fortnight just five days later.
Businesses have also been asked to allow staff to work from home wherever possible.
