The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) president Padraig McGarry said measures have been agreed between the Department of Health and GPs which will ensure there will be no charges for patients who phone their GPs for advice on coronavirus or for a consultation in relation to Covid-19 testing. GPs will also now facilitate people who are not normally registered with a practice and have Covid-19 symptoms.

69 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in the Republic yesterday, bringing the overall number to 292. To date, 6,636 Covid-19 tests have been carried out. The CEO of the Health Service Executive, Paul Reid said we were in a race against time and appealed again to the public to support efforts to combat and slow the spread of the virus, as we wait for thirty thousand Covid-19 testing kits to arrive on Thursday. The HSE has also procured an additional 300 ventilators on top of the 500 it already has and has been assured of an additional 100 ventilators per week going forward. This is on top of 500 ventilators already in intensive care units and another 1000 breathing apparatus that will also work. 

Fórsa’s own Éamonn Donnelly is quoted in the Irish Examiner this morning on the coronavirus-related health staff recruitment drive, which could see an estimated 11,000 health workers hired. Hospitals have also, it is understood, been told to recruit as many of the 5,577 HSCPs who previously applied for specific posts in the HSE in recent years. They include pharmacy staff, dietitians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, cardiology and respiratory specialists.

Measures that would allow people to be detained on foot of a medical recommendation if they have the Covid-19 coronavirus and refuse to self-isolate have been signed off on by the Cabinet. Meanwhile, Ireland has yet to decide on whether or not to take part in the EU's travel ban, despite the majority of EU leaders yesterday night endorsing the plan.

In an address to the nation yesterday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that at some point the government will ask the elderly and the vulnerable to stay indoors for several weeks, and reinforced the 15,000 number of cases expected by the end of the month. He also commended health staff working on the front lines dealing with the outbreak, adding that, for when the surge in cases comes, "never will so much be asked of so few."

For our zen today, I recommend going through the #RTEVirtualParade hashtag on Twitter, which shows how families and communities around Ireland and abroad improvised their own parades and celebrated St. Patrick's Day in their homes and backyards.

Stay safe everyone.