Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has today (12 March) advised that all indoor gatherings of more than 100 people should be cancelled, and outdoor gatherings of over 500 people should be cancelled also. These measures are in place from 6pm today until 29 March.

A number of music and arts events have already been cancelled or postponed and this announcement will have further implications for the arts sector. The National Concert Hall in Dublin has announced that it will close from today.

From tomorrow, all schools, colleges, childcare facilities and cultural institutions will also be closed.

The Department of Health had recommended yesterday evening that the general public ‘consider how to limit … social interactions; avoid indoor, crowded spaces’.

For a rolling list of cancelled or postponed events, see here.

For updates on the COVID-19 virus, visit www.hse.ie and www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/c36c85-covid-19-coronavirus/.