In order to prevent the spread of Coronavirus, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has announced, that – as of Thursday at 6p – schools, colleges, and other public facilities in the Republic of Ireland are set to close.

Varadkar announced the measures in an address in Washington D.C., where he had travelled to discuss a number of issues with the US authorities and to participate in rituals around St. Patrick's Day – which have themselves been cancelled.

From 6pm today, schools, colleges, childcare facilities and cultural institutions will close, until March 29th. Already, the National Concert Hall has released a statement confirming that all of its planned events have been cancelled. RTÉ has also announced that it will drop audiences for programming as a result of Covid-19.

The Government has also stipulated that indoor gatherings of more than 100 people will be banned, as well as outdoor gatherings of more than 500 people. It is important to note that these strictures, again, are set to end on March 29th – at which stage live events should hopefully swing back into action.

The Taoiseach stated that people should continue to go to work if they can, but where possible, people should be enabled to work from home.

Shops and supply chains will remain open, as well as cafés and restaurants. However, Leo Varadkar also said that people should minimise social interactions as much as possible. The Mater Hospital announced that it will be limiting itself to essential services from Thursday.

The Taoiseach made the point that Ireland has substantial resources to address the crisis – but he added that those resources are not unlimited. "We are a great nation and we have overcome many trials in the past with our determination, and we will prevail again," the Taoiseach said, in his statement. He left without answering questions.

Huge questions remain as to whether the actions taken are proportionate. The potential damage to business is enormous. Certainly, there will be an enormously damaging impact on all aspects of the hospitality industry, which is such an important employer. However, the current hope is that, by acting now, and even more draconian shut-down of economic activity might be avoided.