DCU lecturer Eoin O’Malley said

A few chance encounters tell the alarming story about the economic storm enveloping Ireland.

With sporting and cultural events scheduled well into the summer now being cancelled or postponed, it is all too clear that Irish rugby’s current shutdown is set to extend beyond the current March 29 cut-off.

The two males and two females had tested positive for the virus earlier this month but were given the all clear a number of days ago, it has emerged.

Covid-19 in numbers.

The spread of the Coronavirus continues to wreak havoc with sport, with Six Nations and Guinness PRO14 competitions once more affected.

This brings the total number there to 16.

The acting Government has announced a €3bn package to tackle the spread of Covid-19, warning that, if worst-case predictions come true, then the outbreak will be like nothing we have experienced in living memory.

As the numbers of coronavirus rise, levels of patient overcrowding in hospitals have reduced dramatically, according to the latest statistics published by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

If there is one country you don’t want to be compared with right now it’s Italy.

There were early signs of Irish shoppers stocking up on hand sanitisers and bread just as official warnings about the spread of Covid-19 stepped up, according to the latest super- market spend figures.

The Covid-19 outbreak will impact the tourism and hospitality sectors across Munster, business leaders have warned.

As coronavirus continues to dominate world news and Ireland waits to see how extensively it spreads here, plans for travel over the next few months looks uncertain.

Ryanair has announced further cuts to their flights to/from and within Italy due to the continued spread of coronavirus.

The patient in the Republic is male, in the east of the country and "associated with travel" from northern Italy.

Scotland women’s Six Nations rugby match against France has been postponed after a player tested positive for coronavirus.

Five new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the Republic of Ireland.

Strict visitor restrictions have been implemented in more than 20 hospitals around the country amid coronavirus fears.

The HSE has set up a dedicated team to trace everyone who came into contact with the coronavirus patient in Cork University Hospital (CUH) amid the first signs of panic buying in the city.

Speaking following a stakeholder meeting with health officials on Friday, he said: “We are not recommending at this stage that any major events be cancelled but this of course will be kept under review.”

Estate agency chiefs at Lisney and Sherry FitzGerald said there has been limited to no fallout so far from the coronavirus outbreak on Irish residential and commercial property sales.

Infection outbreak signs have been erected outside the emergency department at Cork University Hospital. No visitors are allowed into the busy unit.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that extra legislation may be needed to strengthen employment and social laws to protect those who have to self-isolate in response to Covid-19.

Two males and two females confirmed with the virus in the west of Ireland

There are two male and two female patients, from the western part of the country.

Ireland's Chief Medical Officer has said that fear and anxiety in relation to the coronavirus is understandable - and said that it is important that the public stay informed.

A second case of coronavirus (Covid-19) was

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The patient is a woman in the east of the country who recently travelled back from northern Italy.

St Patrick's Day parades in Ireland should be postponed to stop the spread of the Covid-19, a virologist and leading influenza expert is urging.

Ryanair shares slid by a further 5% as the airline said it will cut a large number of flights to Italy over a three-week period starting from March 17, as the coronavirus crisis leads to a “significant drop” in bookings.

A secondary school has been closed for 14 days on foot of the first confirmed case of coronavirus in the Republic of Ireland.

Foot and mouth - 2001. A year and three words I and anybody in agriculture or horse racing will never forget.

It was at very much at this time of the year — an early March Saturday — 87 years ago that Franklin D Roosevelt, as the 32nd president of the United States, gave in his inaugural address a warning. “Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is ... fear itself.”

Jonathan Sexton has faced the brickbats before.

The Geneva International Motor Show looks set to be cancelled after the Swiss government enacted a law to ban gatherings of more than 1,000 people as it fights to halt the spread of coronavirus.