Coronavirus Ireland: Hunt for contacts as first case confirmed in Republic

- Man with coronavirus 'in east'; travelled from Italy - Chief medic: Risk of more cases 'moderate to high'

Clean-up: Disinfecting public transport is one of the first responses throughout Europe. Photo: ROBERT ATANASOVSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Maeve Sheehan, Alan O'Keeffe, Rachel Farrell, Hugh O'Connell and Wayne O'Connor

The nation is bracing itself for the damaging fallout from the coronavirus crisis, as the first case here was confirmed last night.

The patient, a male in the eastern part of the country, is currently receiving appropriate medical care, the HSE revealed.