DUBLIN, March 12 (Xinhua) -- A total of 27 new COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Ireland, bringing the country's total number of such cases to 70, according to the Irish Department of Health on Thursday evening.
In view of the rapid increase in the number of the confirmed cases in the country, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar issued a statement on Thursday, announcing a number of measures to curb the spread of the virus in the country.
The measures, which took effect from 6 p.m. on Thursday (local time) until March 29, include the closure of all the primary, secondary and third-level schools as well as the childcare facilities across the country.
To date, one died of the coronavirus in Ireland, the department said in a statement.
