A search is underway to find anyone who has been in contact with Ireland's second confirmed coronavirus patient.
Chair of the Expert Advisory Group Dr Cillian De Gascun was speaking after a woman in the east of the country tested positive the killer bug.
And he told Morning Ireland on RTE Radio One that work is currently underway to identify people who have been in close contact with her.
Dr De Gascun added that the risk to any casual contacts is "essentially negligible", explaining that a casual contact is anyone who spent less than 15 minutes face-to-face with the patient.
Health experts are understood to be focused primarily on family and work colleagues of the infected patient.
Last night the Department of Health confirmed a second person in the Republic of Ireland had tested positive for coronavirus, but stressed that the “imported” case is unrelated to the Dublin schoolboy who had also been to the virus hotspot.
Dr Tony Holohan – who earlier in the day said he could see no reason to cancel the St Patrick’s Festival – revealed: “We are confirming Ireland has diagnosed one new case of COVID-19. The case arises in a female in the east of the country and is associated with travel from northern Italy.”
It is believed the patient is not a student and authorities are working to trace the people who may have been in contact with her. Health Minister Simon Harris tweeted: “We have a 2nd confirmed case of #Covid19 in Ireland.
“While not unexpected, please continue to take advice from @roinnslainte & @HSELive on how best to protect your health.”
Dr Holohan, the Department of Health’s Chief Medical Officer, added some isolated cases from abroad are to be expected here but the virus may not necessarily be transmitted in the community as it might be in Europe.
He said there is no reason to think there are cases in Ireland of which the department is unaware and the chances of infection in the community are still extremely low.
Meanwhile, intensive care consultant Dr Tom Ryan told RTE News: “This could undoubtedly present a major challenge to our hospitals because we’re short of beds and in particular we’re short of intensive care beds.
“The frontline staff in the hospitals will meet this challenge because they’re committed to providing the best possible patient care.“
