Ireland put in lockdown, nation asked to ‘forego freedoms’
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Ireland has been put under lockdown measures following three more coronavirus-related deaths.
The Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said residents should stay home until at least 12 April unless they are buying groceries, attending medical appointments or collecting medication, getting brief exercise or making essential family visits.
Almost all shops will be told to close and all gatherings outside of families will be banned.
Public transport will be available only to essential workers and nobody should travel beyond 2km (1.2 miles) from their homes for any reason, he added.
Those over the age of 70 or with chronic diseases will be told to stay in their homes without exception over the period, which begins at midnight.
Mr Varadkar said: “Freedom was hard won in our country, and it jars with us, to restrict and limit individual liberties, even temporarily. But freedom is not an abstract concept.
The measures come after three more deaths thought to be as a result of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by coronavirus. One of the victims was a healthcare worker.
According to data compiled by US university Johns Hopkins, there are 2,121 coronavirus cases in Ireland, with 22 deaths recorded.
