The Republic’s first case of coronavirus has forced the closure of a Dublin secondary school on infection control grounds.
More than 400 students of the school are today beginning two weeks off after public health officials ordered it to shut to prevent the spread of the disease.
Meanwhile, public health officials are expected to decide on Monday on restrictions that will apply to mass gatherings in light of the worldwide coronavirus outbreak. The restrictions to be decided by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) may affect the St Patrick's Day Festival and other big events over the coming months.
Those in contact with the case are being identified and will be contacted by Public Health doctors in line with best international practice.
— HSE Ireland (@HSELive) March 1, 2020
NPHET made the decision to close the Dublin school after learning that the first person in the Republic to test positive for the virus had became ill after returning from Italy and going back to school. He is currently in isolation in a hospital in the capital.
Public health officials have ordered the closure of the school in order to minimise the risk of person-to-person transmission of the disease.
The decision was announced by NPHET at a briefing on Sunday evening.
"Contact tracing has assessed that close contacts of this patient includes pupils and teachers of a secondary school," said Dr Tony Holohan, chief medical officer with the Department of Health. "Public health doctors are in direct contact with pupils, their parents and the staff involved."
Dr Holohan called for patient confidentiality in this case, and all others, to be respected. The department would provide updated information as necessary, he said.
However, the school was quickly identified on social media following the NPHET briefing.
Dr Holohan said no other schools were affected and there was “no reason” for any other school to close.
Travel to Italy
He also expressed opposition to any further travel restrictions on Italy, over and above those already in place.With more than 1,100 cases, Italy has the highest concentration of coronavirus cases of any state in Europe.
Parents of children attending the school last night received a letter from the HSE saying a case of novel coronavirus (Covid-19) had been identified and “to prevent the possible spread of infection” the school had been closed until Monday, March 16th.
“As a precaution, all students and staff at the school are being treated as possible contacts of the case,” the letter states. “Because your child may have had contact with someone who has Covid-19, it is possible that they might have picked up the virus and could become unwell or pass the virus on to other people.”
Public health staff will monitor children over the next 14 days “as a disease control measure”, according to the letter. Parents are asked to isolate children from others “without delay” if they develop symptoms of the disease over this time and to contact their GP.
No visitors
The letter asks students to limit their social interactions “in so far as possible” during this period, adding: “This includes not having visitors to the house.”
Students have been told to avoid social gatherings and crowded settings, not to attend school, work or sporting events and to avoid contact with the elderly, those with chronic health problems and pregnant women.
They should not travel outside Ireland and have been told to discuss travel plans within Ireland with public health officials. Other household members do not need to restrict their activities.
Scotland last night reported its first case of the virus, while in France the Louvre museum remained shut over the weekend after the government banned large gatherings in confined spaces.
